26 CHINESE WORKERS DETAINED FOR VISA VIOLATIONS

Agroup of 26 Chinese nationals who had illegally engaged in work at two big construction sites in Slave Island, Colombo 2 were arrested by the Immigration and Emigration Department yesterday.

The department’s Investigation Unit on a tipoff carried out a surveillance operation for several days before they made the detection yesterday.

The Immigration sleuths raided two private construction sites where the work is underway day and night with a large number of Chinese expatriate workers.

According to department sources, all the apprehended Chinese men reportedly arrived in the country in March on 30-day tourist visas and have extended them afterwards.

A senior official at the department said that they have violated their visa regulations by working in the country only having tourist visas.

The arrested foreigners who were aged 30 to 40 years had been transferred to the Immigration and Emigration Department Detention Centre in Mirihana.

They will be deported from the country following the investigations.

Investigation Unit head Assistant Controller M. G. V. Kariyawasam is conducting inquiries on the instructions of Immigration and Emigration Controller General Nihal Ranasinghe and Controller Border and Visa Chandana Hettiarachchi.

The Immigration sleuths raided two private construction sites where the work is underway day and night with a large number of Chinese expatriate workers