Concern about jobs and businesses in Papua New Guinea occupied by foreigners, of which a few hundred are said to be working in the tuna canning industry, -exasperated by some 10,000 illegal immigrants- may result in a major Government crackdown.
Labor and Industrial Relations Minister Peter Yama told Parliament he would propose to Cabinet a taskforce that would include Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Trade and Industry as well as the Labor Department.
Yama’s plans for a taskforce comes amidst indications from outside Parliament that there has been a blanket ban on work permit extensions and the issue of new permits which has legitimate organizations seething over the fate of their expatriate managers.
Bogia MP John Hickey highlighted that RD Tuna had more than 600 expatriate employees — some of them doing jobs that locals could easily perform and wages lower than plantation laborers were being paid to some locals at RD Tuna.
Ijivitari MP Cecilking Doruba expressed security concerns on the higher number of illegal immigrants that makes it conducive for trans-national terrorism and criminal activities because PNG shares common borders with three countries.
Labor and Industrial Relations Minister Yama said the function of the joint consultative monitoring committee would be to ensure and remove any illegal immigrants in PNG. “Now this is a big problem.
“I think we all must know that all these people do not have work permits; they do not have entry visas to come into PNG. Some have come in as tourists; they do not have a valid reason to stay in PNG.â€
“When their (visa) terms expire, they don’t leave but find a PNG businessman, or even MPs, to help them and associate with them and start to do business with them such as trade stores and buying sea cucumbers,†he said.
Source: PNG Press