Customs, police probe group

Officers of the Immigration Department yesterday detained ten persons believed to be Vietnamese nationals at Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, after they failed to produce any documents to prove that they are in the country legally.

The detained persons claimed that they came on a fishing trawler and have been staying in Trinidad ever since.

They are believed to have been provided with accommodation by members of the Chinese community.

Yesterday, they said they were hired to offload a container of soup at Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain in the vicinity of Charford Court.

Officers of the Inter Agency Task Force led by Cpl Boyd on foot patrol became suspicious on seeing so many Vietnamese around a container that they enquired from Lin Xiu Fung, a businesswoman from Dundonald Street, Port-of-Spain, about the presence of the people.

She reportedly told the officers that they were hired to offload the container and further said that they were Trinidadian Chinese. Officers became further suspicious when they discovered that none of the men or women and one child could speak any English.

They were only able to say that they were from Vietnam. Cpl Boyd contacted the Immigration Depar-tment because no one could provide him with any documents to prove that they are in Trinidad legally.

A Customs and Excise officer arrived on the scene shortly after and provided documents to prove that the container had clearance to be opened.

Police officers then allowed the owner of the goods to open the container which was found to contain packets of soup.

Immigration officers, Cpl Jenny Morrain and Narinesigh Lall along with other officers later arrived on the scene and detained ten of the 15 Vietnamese. The women and child were allowed to remain in the care of Lin Yiu Fung pending an investigation into the matter.

The activities prompted a huge presence of persons living in the Charford Street, Port-of-Spain area.