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Sri Lankan Refugees Paying $11,800 To Be Smuggled To PNG

Tuesday: October 07, 2008

(Post-Courier)

Hong Kong-based agents are charging US$11,800 to smuggle Sri Lankan refugees to Papua New Guinea, the Post-Courier reports.

The newspaper, quoting unnamed PNG intelligence service officers, says the human smuggling operations are charging $31,600 for refugees who want to go on to Australia. These smuggling groups are reportedly using agents in PNG.

“But it still looks like they came into PNG to have easy access somehow to Australia because they would not have had an easy way out if they had gone straight to Australia from wherever they came from. But in any case, coming to PNG, especially from a dangerous grouping, is a threat to the national security of this country in itself,” the intelligence officers said.

PNG recently deported 13 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka who illegally entered the country. They were banned from PNG.

http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20081007/tuhome.htm