By HELLEN TEMBO –
SIXTY-NINE foreigners have been arrested by the Immigration Department for flouting immigration regulations.
Immigration spokesperson Namati Nshinka said in a statement that the arrests were carried out from Friday to Monday this week, during a routine inspection of business premises.
Mr Nshinka said among those arrested were 12 Chinese who were found at the multi-facility economic zone near Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka.
“Out of the 12, five were detained, three of them for helping some Chinese workers to escape, one for unlawful stay and another for assaulting an immigration officer. The other seven were ordered to report to the regional immigration officer for further immigration formalities,” he said.
Meanwhile, 21 Congolese and one Zimbabwean at Kasumbalesa Border Post were arrested for unlawful entry.
Others who were arrested are three Burundians in Lusaka, four Malawians in Chipata, one Tanzanian and two others in Mpika, three Somalis in Ndola, two Congolese, one Burundian in Nakonde as well as two Tanzanians in Mpulungu.
Mr Nshinka said those arrested for unlawful stay included three Congolese and one Tanzanian in Chingola, one Somali and one Chinese in Lusaka, one Congolese in Mufulira, two Zimbabweans and two Malawians in Livingstone. Two Zambians were also arrested for harbouring the Malawians.
In Lusaka, a Congolese female and a Zambian male were arrested for giving false information to a Government officer after they attempted to apply for a spouse permit on the false pretext that they were married when in fact not.
Mr Nshinka said in Ndola, one Congolese was arrested after attempting to fraudulently obtain a green Zambian national registration card (NRC).
A Zambian who stood as a deponent in support of the NRC application was also arrested.
“During this period, the department also removed a total of 27 illegal immigrants from the country. These included 10 Malawians in Lundazi, eight Tanzanians and one Somali in Nakonde, six Malawians in Chipata, one Tanzanian in Chinsali, one Somali in Ndola, one Tanzanian in Katima Mulilo and one Congolese in Samfya,” he said.
Mr Nshinka said a magistrates’ court in Kitwe on Friday last week convicted and sentenced a Congolese national to a fine of K3,000 or in default nine months simple imprisonment for unlawful entry.