Illegal deported, misses court case over gunfire

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
AN Australian citizen was deported yesterday to his country for illegally entering Papua New Guinea six months ago.
Immigrations officials put Philip Tan, 41, originally from Selangor, Malaysia, but now an Australian citizen, on an Air Niugini flight to Brisbane at 9am yesterday.
Tan was apprehended at his house at the Islander village at about 12pm on Wednesday by a joint Immigration and police operation and detained overnight at the Boroko cell.
He was still under police custody until his deportation from the Jackson’s international airport in Port Moresby.
However, police prosecutors said that his hurried deportation might create suspicious among the public as he was currently facing charges of unlawfully discharging a firearm in the public place.
“He was out on police bail and his next appearance before the Boroko District Court is on March 4 for allegedly firing a gun near Alva Motoring in Port Moresby.
“He was accused of discharging four shots at some men at about 12pm last Jan 14 when these men came after him to get their property back.”
However, Immigration officials said at the Jackson international airport that they will advice the prosecutors to dismiss the case as he was no long here to answer to it.
“Mr Tan entered the country with the help of a Foreign Affairs officer and
a forged work visa,” he claimed.
“The visa was produced to have him employed as a company manager in Port Moresby, but that company was not listed with the Investment Promotion Authority. Instead he was employed as a manager with a nightclub in Port Moresby.”
The Immigration officer said the identity of the Foreign Affairs officer who helped Tan enter the country illegally was known and an investigation was underway to deal with him.
Immigration officers said that while Tan was facing police charges over the discharge of a firearm, they were tipped off by the complainants to check the legal status of his residency.
“That’s when we discovered that he had breached the immigration Act so we had to deport him,” the Immigration officer continued.
He also said that although Mr Tan was born in PNG, he had decided to become an Australian citizen after turning 18 and left for Australia. “But his return was illegal.
He said that Tan’s deportation was part of a joint operation with the police to crack down on illegals in PNG.