Pardafas Reporter
In line with rising criminal and illegal activities of the Chinese nationals in the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided totighten the facilities available for the Chinese visitors on visit visas.
With this new rule, the concerned authorities will start to impose imposing stringent action on the erring Chinese nations in a few days.
At present, any Chinese nationals could stay in Nepal for 150 days in each VISA year, while the nationals of SAARC countries could only stayin Nepal with the VISA for no more than 30 days. This means that any Chinese people can stay in the country for five months without paying the VISA fee. Moreover,many Chinese people are being found to overstay in the country even with theexpiry date of extended VISA duration.
Security personnel and experts say a five months period is morethan enough time for any person to travel to other countries with a purpose ofvisiting any country. But many Chinese who stay with the visit visa in this wayare found to be involved in criminal or illegal activities. Security agenciesreports show that crimes conducted by Chinese people like looting of ATMs, swindling of people, and other cyber crimes were conducted by those who arestaying for multiple months with the purpose of earning money through illegal means. Many of those arrested Chinese had overstayed the 'allowed time in the VISA, an additional facility granted especially for the Chinese nationals, a desperate move of the government to promote tourism in the country.
In view of these incidents and frequent suggestions from security authorities the MoHA has decided to tighten the provision for Chinese citizens staying for more than five months. Ministry spokesperson andjoint-secretary Pradip Kumar Koirala informed Pardafas that although there isalready a provision to take action against erring visitors serious attentionwas being paid to its implementation now. "There is a provision for charging a fee for continuous stay, not just for the Chinese, it is a provisionthat is being implemented, it is still being considered. But, this time we willimpose stricter implementation on the rule" he said.
Some common crimes by Chinese nationals in Nepal
Large numbers of Chinese nationals are linked to smuggling of animal parts, valuable medicinal herbs, and live animals. Other common illegalactivities include drug peddling, dollar business, hundi business, lootingof money from ATMs, cybercrimes, illegal gold trade in Nepal among others.
Around two years ago, in one of the largest policeoperations, 122 Chinese were arrested and handed over to the Chinese side. Itwas revealed that they were over staying in Nepal and engaging in various illegalgaming business and fraud.Last year a number of Chinese nationals were also arrestedon the charge of hacking ATMs of various banks and looting millions of rupees.Three Chinese nationals were arrested along with eight kilogram of gold on December 29, 2006. They had tried to smuggle gold to Nepal via Hong Kong.Similarly, on 20 July last year, Chinese national Li Ningxi was arrested atTribhuvan International Airport with four kilogram of gold. He had tried tosmuggle gold into Nepal by hiding it in a cloth belt from Hong Kong.
Airport police had arrested three Chinese nationals alongwith about three and a half kilos of gold April second week in 2019. They hadtried to smuggle gold by hiding it in the anus. Few months after it, a number of Chinesewere arrested in November 2018 for illegally exchanging dollars along withunclaimed dollars. Among them was the arrest of Chinese man Iresa was a hyped news whohad carried unclaimed 122,500 USD at the airport with a mission to smuggle themoney in Nepal.Police had arrested three Chinese nationals with seahorseand tiger skin from Thamel on September 20. The operator of One Hotel inKathmandu, Chen Qang, was arrested from his hotel in Thamel.
Police had confiscated300 grams of sea horse, 90 grams of yarsagumba, 330 grams of orchids and six kilograms of various herbs from him. Apart from these, many Chinese nationals involved in other criminal activities have been arrested in Nepal. Chinese tops list of evicted foreigners Government report by the Department of Immigration under the MoHA, shows that out of the most foreigners to be deported from Nepal, the Chinesenationals are at the top.
In the eight months of the last fiscal year 2020-21 a total of 136 foreign nationals weredeported from the country in connection with various untoward activities. The department reports say the majority of those departed are Chinese nationals. AS many as 1,500 Chinese people have been deported fromNepal in the last seven years as per the department.
Exiled foreign nationals arenot allowed to enter Nepal for one to ten years as per the seriousness of thecrime they are involved in.It is estimated that there are about 1,000 Chinese people in Nepal at present, out of which many are suspected living with expiry VISA dates. Many Chinese are facing offenses including overstay, misappropriation of foreign currency, banking offenses, drugs and otheroffenses.
'Stricter action for over staying’
The government had introduced free visa services forChinese nationals five years ago in line with its policy to attract Chinesetourists. However, government agencies have time and again warned thegovernment that this provision is highly misused by Chinese who enter thecountry with mal-intention and abuse the provision.
Director General of the Immigration Department, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, said that they have started cracking down on visitors who areoverstaying in the country beyond their limitation period.
"There is aprovision of 30 days free visa for SAARC nationals and 150 days free visa forChinese nationals in a visa year. After that period, there was no provision foradding free visit visas, but now we have tightened the rules due to the large number of untoward activities by such people," Bhattarai said. Headded that they will charge extra fines for Chinese people who are found over stayingin the country.
