About 202 Chinese nationals have asked the GIS not to arrest them for their engagement in galamsey, but to process and repatriate them to China.
However, questioned why the Chinese galamsey operators are not being prosecuted for their involvement in illegal mining activities, the Public Relations Officer of the GIS, Francis Palmdetti explained on the Citi Breakfast Show that the Service is dealing with them on the basis of their willingness to be repatriated although they have breached Ghana’s laws on immigration.
“Immigration practice the world over has room for voluntary repatriation, but those are based on certain conditions especially when you put in a request.”
He admitted that: "these are foreigners who have basically breached the laws regarding immigration and the laws being that when you arrive in the country, and you are a visitor… the condition for your entry is saying that you are prohibited from working. Once you go into the mines working, you have broken the immigration rules, and we are dealing with that matter because they are foreigners and we have the mandate to regulate the activities of foreigners.”
Mr. Palmdetti also pointed out that the Chinese government is collaborating with the GIS and the government of Ghana, to reduce to the barest minimum, the number of Chinese engaged in the practice.
“The Chinese government has taken the directive of the president [John Mahama] very seriously… so I think they have been speaking to their people and so we were informed by the Chinese immigrants about the intention of some of the Chinese nationals to voluntarily leave the country.”
According to him, the Chinese Embassy “is collaborating with this exercise, they are also concerned about the way their compatriots are coming into the country.”
Source: citifmonline
No comments:
Post a Comment