It was revealed this week that immigration officials in Trinidad and Tobago had been seeking and finding illegal Chinese immigrants who are being used to provide free labour at casinos, supermarkets, restaurants and private members’ clubs. A report in the Trinidad Guardian also said it was suspected that the underworld human trafficking ring was being controlled by a branch of the Triads—an organized criminal enterprise in China similar to the internationally known Mafia.
There is nothing new about the exploitation and enslavement of would-be immigrants nor are these practices unique to either Trinidad and Tobago or the Triads. Economic migrants—usually too poor to afford visas or airfares—accept offers from seemingly legitimate individuals and businesses who promise to fund their move and find them jobs with the understanding that they would repay the debt once employed. However, the unscrupulous business persons would then take control of the immigrants’ documents to prevent them from attempting to legalise their status and force them to work under horrid conditions or as prostitutes. The migrants, who often cannot speak the language of their new host country, are illiterate or are afraid they would be arrested because of their status or lack of it, then become the slaves of whoever is holding them hostage unless and until they are caught and deported. In the case of the Triads, it has been reported, members of that organization threaten the lives of relatives back in China to force compliance by those they are holding hostage.
Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago acknowledge that rounding up illegal Chinese would not address the issue since access to the island by sea through several heavily forested areas remains unmonitored. They have proposed approaching the problem proactively – using the T&T Coastguard to prevent human smugglers from landing with their prohibited cargo.
One would have to be blind not to see the nexus between what obtains in T&T and similar issues here. Five years ago, it would have been extremely rare to walk into a supermarket, mall or any retail outlet and hear and see large numbers of people conversing in Portuguese. It would have been unusual too for there to be more than a few Chinese owned and operated clothing, dry goods and you-name-it-they-sell-it stores in the city.
One wonders whether the agencies which are supposed to be monitoring such activities know for sure that these businesses are properly licensed, are paying taxes and NIS and at least the minimum wage. Does the granting of work permits to the many non-nationals seen working in some of these business houses take into consideration whether the positions might not be filled from this country’s large unemployment pool?
It is no secret too that some clubs provide adult entertainment in the form of Brazilian dancers and strippers. It would be interesting to see the skill listed on the work permit of these employees, assuming that they would have applied for and received them.
While there is no obvious evidence to suggest that Guyana might also have been invaded by the Triads, since such groups have mastered the art of operating incognito, it would be worth checking, assuming that the resources to do so can be found of course. Local security forces should also attempt to gather intelligence on whether in fact there is a Brazilian organization similar to the Triads and how it operates. Brazil is know for having huge criminal gangs whose members hide out in the favelas and frequently wage war against each other or against the police.
There is no way that the authorities could know for sure how many Brazilians are currently residing in Guyana. There are thousands of them in the city—many of whom operate businesses—and perhaps a similar number or more in the interior areas involved in mining. Recent years have also seen a huge influx of Chinese and a widening of their economic activities from food-related businesses to retail merchandising.
There has been no real assessment of the impact of this burgeoning migration on the economy, whether real contributions are being made or whether profits are simply being repatriated.
Admittedly, Guyana cannot control its wide borders; illegal immigrants (as well as goods, drugs and guns) will continue to come and go. Some attempt ought to be made however, to keep tabs on the situation in-country or we will wake up one day to find that it is totally out of hand.
