Foreigner defends decision to hold workers passports, work permit

A Bangladeshi businessman is defending his decision to withhold his workers’ passports and work permits to prevent them stealing and escaping back to Bangladesh.
However, Immigration officer Henry Lubang told him that holding on to their passports and work permits was a human-trafficking offence and he could be jailed.
The businessman, requesting anonymity, told Lubang that all Bangladeshi businessmen operating in Port Moresby did that.
“We have experienced stealing in the past,” he said.
“That’s why we usually hold on to their passports and we only release it to them for them to return to their country when their visa expires.”
Lubang told him that their staff had to have their original passports and work permits. “You just keep a copy of these documents,” Lubang told him.
Lubang said that they should always check their fellow Bangladeshis before bringing them to work in their businesses in PNG. “When you don’t check and bring them,  you face such stealing incidences, unless  someone else is recruiting them and offering them to you without you knowing  their background.”
Meanwhile, the investigation and action team has been accused of stealing from Bangladeshi businesses houses.
Allegations were made after some Bangladeshi staff were apprehended for breaching their visas, work permits or the businessman was operating illegally, not complying with health rand government regulations.
In one instance, locals employed in a store owned by a Bangladeshi, accused the team of stealing their boss’ mobile phone.
The locals and their boss caught up with the team in another location an hour later.
A local staff claimed of seeing the suspect. However, she failed to identify the suspect when all the team members presented themselves before her.
In another instance, another Bangladeshi businessman accused the team of stealing his money when they entered his store. However, he changed his story when the team approached him. He claimed that his  Bangladeshi staff had misled him.
On Monday a local landlord also accused the team of stealing his client’s (Bangladeshi businessman) money when they searched the staff sleeping quarters.
A member of the team told The National that such allegations were made to discredit the team in its efforts to clamp down on illegal business activities and illegal immigrants.