By JULIUS PHIRI –
THE IMMIGRATION Department in Livingstone on Thursday arrested 20 Tanzanians for illegal stay.
Immigration Public relations officer Namati Nshinka confirmed in a statement that the operation was conducted around Town centre in Livingstone which culminated into the detention of 20 Tanzanian nationals.
Most of those arrested were in possession of Travel Documents of Identity (TDIs) suspected to be fake.
Mr Nshinka said the Tanzania nationals were being held in Livingstone pending verification of the authenticity of the TDIs.
“Further, the same office on Wednesday August27, also arrested 2 Tanzanians and 2 Burundese for unlawful stay. A Zambian is also being held for aiding the suspected prohibited immigrants stay in the country,” he said.
In other developments, the Magistrate Court in Lusaka on Wednesday and Thursday convicted 15 Congolese Refugees for leaving the refugee camp without authority.
Mr Nshinka said the 15 were among the 149 detained on July 27 in Chibolya and Kabwata Townships in an operation conducted by a joint team of Police, Immigration and Registrar of Societies.
He said the 15 Congolese refugees convicted, were sentenced to fines ranging from K 300 to K 2,000 or in default two weeks to nine months simple imprisonment while one pregnant woman received a nine months suspended sentence.
The same Court also convicted a Rwandese juvenile and ordered that she be sent back to Maheba Refugee Camp. So far a total of 42 out of the 149 have been convicted while others will soon be appearing in court.
Meanwhile, Ndola Regional Immigration Office on Wednesday removed 10 Somali nationals, one Tanzanian and one Kenyan and relocated nine Somali Refugees to Maheba Refugee Camp.
In a related development, Solwezi Regional Immigration Office on Wednesday removed 20 Tanzanians and three Congolese nationals from the country and relocated three Burundese refugees and four Congolese refugees to Maheba Refugee camp.