{"id":105360,"date":"2021-04-02T23:23:08","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T23:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=182133"},"modified":"2021-04-02T23:23:08","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T23:23:08","slug":"chinese-workers-absconding-charge-dropped-but-still-to-be-deported-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/04\/02\/chinese-workers-absconding-charge-dropped-but-still-to-be-deported-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese worker\u2019s absconding charge dropped but still to be deported"},"content":{"rendered":"
Asia Pacific Report<\/a> newsdesk<\/em><\/p>\n The Chinese worker who left police custody on the way to the airport<\/a> on Thursday night had a charge of absconding<\/a> \u2013 which carries a maximum sentence of five years \u2013 withdrawn when he appeared in the Auckland District Court today.<\/p>\n The worker, who was said by his lawyer to be in a very distressed state after 10-days in custody, had opened an unlocked door of the patrol car on the way to the airport and got out.<\/p>\n He had hoped to recover lost property and money he was owed. He then walked for seven hours\u2019 confused and disoriented before speaking to an early morning exerciser who spoke Mandarin and they agreed that he should surrender himself to the police again, according to a statement by Unite Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n The worker\u2019s lawyer, Matt Robson, who represents nine of the 10 Chinese workers detained<\/a>, said he had suffered migrant labour exploitation<\/a> and he should be released to allow the allegations to be investigated.<\/p>\n However, the magistrate said he had no power to do so and the worker was remanded in police custody again on outstanding immigration matters.<\/p>\n The worker asked to speak to the court and begged to be able to work in New Zealand so that he could earn back the large amount of money paid in fees to get here and provide for his parents, wife and child back in China.<\/p>\n Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has said this case was not one of trafficking. The person he had delegated the authority to make this decision reportedly did so after examining the email trail documents for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n False promises, huge fees<\/strong>
But the government\u2019s own website on trafficking includes the circumstances of these workers who were recruited and made false promises in China and paid huge fees for fake visas that they thought would be work visas and were then told they could change from their visitor status once they arrived, which was a lie.<\/p>\n