20 foreigners arrested

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By MARJORIE FINKEO
TWENTY foreigners who own stores in settlements around Port Moresby were arrested last Saturday over the alleged breach of visa and work permit conditions.
Officers from the Immigration and Citizenship Authority, and the Labour and Industrial Relations Department visited the stores at Bomana, 9-Mile, Makana settlement, ATS Block, Vadavada along Taurama Road, Sabama, Badili, Ranu Guri at Konedobu, Hanuabada, Tokarara, Hohola, Garden Hills, Gordon and Erima.
A team from The National which accompanied the officers witnessed the inspection of 28 shops, resulting in the arrest of 19 Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian.
Immigration and Citizenship Authority inspection coordinator John Bria told The National that five of the 20 were detained and 15 released pending further investigation.
Labour and Industrial Relations officers issued infringement notices to the foreigners.
Bria said they found fake papers with the foreigners who were paying local employees well below the national minimum wage rate.
“Foreigners are welcome to invest (in PNG) but they must respect our laws,” he said.
“Foreign investors are penetrating into the small to medium business enterprise (sector).
“They must protect citizens and ensure they benefit the most in property development and rentals on their land.”
He said investors should have proper papers including visa, work permits, certificates from the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) on tax compliance.
Prime Minister James Marape has been concerned about foreigners encroaching on space occupied by locals earning a living through small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

32 comments

  • Very good job by the NCD police. Can we have police and immigration also go and check couple of shops popping up in Manus being operated by Indian/Bangledeshi nationals. Just to confirm.

  • The problem with PNG foreign businesses is that..government shouldn’t be looking at and entertaining sole individuals from highly populated and poverty stricken countries like Bangladesh, Burmer and others to come for investment PNG, they don’t have enough capital t invest, they are running away from social pressure from their countries to seek refuge in PNG. This is in a way a modern refugees, Instead invite corporations, large companies and business because they have the capital and has the potential to provide employment to our population, contribute meaningfully to the economy and even they will play by the rules.

  • Just put them on the plane and send them back to their country. No need to waste our court’s time dealing with these criminal elements.

    • Great job ICA & IL Dept. Every opportunity should be utilized by localside. Even though we break down along the way. PNG is still young and trail & Error is the only key to success. ..well done.

  • The government has to explain how these foreigners were allowed to enter PNG in the first place.
    Also name PNGeans that allow these foriegners to enter PNG.

  • Extend the operations into all rural and urban centers in PNG. It may not be only Bangaleshis, Indians, Chinese as well.

  • This is a very serious issue in a developing countries like PNG , also questioning our National Intelligence Security of this country when such people sneaking in and out of this country without proper documentation. Hope PNG is not to become another breeding place/ground for Terrorist.

  • First, charge them then make them pay their own deport fee back to their country!
    Oh and last, fine them to pay tax backdated from the time they started their illegal operation in our country.

  • About time.
    These foreigners are rounded up.
    They have been infiltrating all areas for a long time and some now have legalised themselves just because they have been operating for so long all throughout PNG, send them straight back.
    Conduct these raids every week not just once in a blue moon.
    Keep up the good work full support.

  • They are collaborating with locals to operate in this suburbs and settlements, thus locals must be arrested and charge too….

  • Please deport them back, SME is reserved business for the Land Owners and locals of this country!

  • Do not blame the Government.
    Blame the bureaucrats who are in that responsible positions to allow these aliens into the country by accepting huge amounts money from agents within PNG to falsify documents for aliens to enter PNG.

  • Great PMJM I for one appreciate the good work by making Public Department ensure their duties and got those unabiding foreigners eradicate from our land. They are cowards occupy our sme for local citizen to do business. Like I said punish them or kill them they are unworthy from their own country and being here to manipulate the sme sector… Rally must be conducted to educate the people about those people

  • 20 is not enough. I’m sure there are more hiding out there. Let’s assist our men apprehend these aliens.. they seem to be operating almost everywhere and they don’t even respect our laws either.!

  • PLEASE, send them back to their country. They deserve not to reside in PNG if they are not complying with laws & regulations. I call on the relevant authorities concerned to ensure that honesty & transparency prevails in every systems and processes involved as were necessary in facilitaring their prompt exit out off PNG. Otherwise, these lunatics & their cohorts will severly trodden & hijack the sovereignty of PNG at all cost…..

  • Big down fall Immigration office. Why don’t interview them probably or else screen them well before coming into this country.

  • Identify the nationals in the VISA scam and jail them. Don’t spend money on these people. Send these people back and blacklist them. Have them added to the Interpol blacklist list

  • Job well done. Most of the foreigners are in the same boat especially those comining in for business entity and others on false discretion of visas attainments. Can we have the people from higher hierarchy took a good look and scrap off the loopholes that manipulating the system by investigate the foreigners who were abandoned in the makeshif and live “on the golden plate land” running business on expired visa and licensed. We have so many issues alarmed with these foreign crooks and need more investigations to deduced unetical problems bombared in social media in our country – Papua New Guinea.

  • Please can they come to Ensisi and check this Indian married to a PNG woman renting a store just on the roadside where the buai sellers are. The store have 100 goods with no prices on the self for customers to see. He gives different prices of goods every day, you can’t believe when you get your change back from how much you give. The same Indian guy got a shop at Erima too!

  • Put them on the plain and send them back, SME budget was not for them to get that was for us the PNG citizen to do and also stop them to do Business in our country

  • I believe this is a compromise deal between immigration and citizen ship and labour and relations officers.

    our government should provide a lot of funding to locals to operate such SME kind of business rather than entertaining foreigners.
    The Government is at fault of such activities where PNG Nationals can handle. How dose the Government approve licenses for such crooks to operate in this country. I believe PNG Government is playing tricks or games with its Nationals/population country wide.

  • Can our Govt increase the penalty fee like K50000 or K100000 so these culprits can pay up or increase the number of years in jail like 20 yrs or so. Time to control influx of illegal foreigners through policy change..easy way

  • The truth is, the investment promotion authority is the one should be blame for this because their policy is to promote foreign investors. Can review this policy and promote sme in that way the vision of taking back PNG by the pm marape will come true, if otherwise will still be the same

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