ICA To Monitor Illegal Activities

The Immigration and Citizenship Authority officials while on a visit in Buin have addressed various issues affecting the work of immigrations.

The team had travelled with the Minister for Immigration & Border Security, Westly Nukundj to launch Buin’s International Immigration Office. 

Chief Migration Officer, Stanis Hulahau and his team expressed concerns of the ongoing illegal activities occurring with not only the movement of people but of illegal alluvial gold mining as well with people moving gold out of Bougainville, unnoticed and undetected. There is also the issue of arms as well and drug trade.

Mr Hulahau believes that with the presence of ICA in Buin, it will help enforce its officers and ICA’s authoritative hand.

ICA’s team of officials made example of illegal aliens like that of a US couple that came into Buin illegally with mining equipment.

Mr Hulahau said: “They came through Buin, the area where there is not enough immigration presence there. A lot of illegal ‘Aliens’ we call them, capitalize on our non-presence at that side of the border. The couple sold all their properties and raised the money came to Australia got the mining equipment, bought a yacht and then they sailed from Brisbane straight into Buin where they went up to the No-go zone the Mekamui area. So they are conducting illegal mining activity.”

Mr Hulahau was informed by his officials and gave the order to get a team to go and flush them out however, in terms of security, it is risky but now with ICA’s presence in Buin will short cut any illegal process conducted.

He said at present people travel by dinghy at night under the cover of darkness across the Solomon Sea undetected, but with the launch of the Buin office, ICA will start to step up its presence there and will be able to monitor illegal activities, as there is too much of it occurring.

“Right now there is a lot of illegal activities happening. There are people from Nigeria, people travelling in from Vanimo, but because they have dark skin they tell people, they are from Bougainville so they blend in. They come to Vanimo get on the dinghy and from Wewak into Madang, get on a bus into Lae and then they come into Bougainville. Because of their skin color they are able to, previously, fake their identity by getting an NID Card and then lodge for a PNG Passport.

“Now it is not happening because we are working very closely with checking thoroughly when detaining some and having them speak in the local Bougainville language or identify their local MPs, leaders. These are some of the experiences faced with no proper policing in the Buin, Kangu and Sirivai areas,” said Mr Hulahau.

ICA’s Buin office will now have more immigration presence on that part of the border for better management and policing.

Author: 
Carol Kidu