More foreigners getting into illegal activities in Nepal
24/10/2008 17:21
There is a growing trend among foreigners, who are treated as guests in
Nepal, to violate immigration laws and commit crimes, The Kathmandu Post daily
reported today.
According to the newspaper, every year, authorities have been
deporting increasing numbers of illegal foreigners from developed as well as
war-weary countries.
Data provided by the Department of Immigration (DoI)
shows that 87 foreigners, mostly from African and conflict-ridden countries,
were arrested for overstaying and involvement in other criminal activities and
deported in the fiscal year that ended mid-July. This figure is more than double
the previous year's when only 31 foreigners were deported.
Since mid-July
this year, 26 foreigners have already been deported.
Most of them had
committed crimes under the existing immigration laws. They were deported for
overstaying, involvement in criminal activities like possessing narcotic drugs,
fake passports, duplicate visas, counterfeit currency, and misappropriation of
foreign currency, according to DoI records. Some were also working without
permission.
"People from African countries such as Nigeria, Liberia and Ghana
were mostly found committing crimes like peddling drugs and possessing
counterfeit currency and fake passports," said Navin Kumar Ghimire, Director
General of DoI.
DoI officials estimate that more than 200 urban refugees from
Somalia, Iraq and Pakistan are overstaying in the country. Usually, the
government does not carry out raids on their shelters without their involvement
in criminal activities.
"Since Nepal is not a signatory to the UN Refugee
Convention, Nepal does not recognize them as refugees and is not obligated to
grant them exit permits for third country resettlement," said Ghimire. Illegal
immigrants need to pay fine for overstaying in the country before heading for
third-country resettlement.
Because of criminal acts committed by some
African nationals, Nepal has already imposed a restriction on arrival visas for
various countries, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Iraq. Other countries
continue to enjoy the privilege of receiving visas on arrival in
Nepal.
Xinhua
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