Ghana Immigration Service detains 25 illegal Chinese miners

Twenty-four illegal Chinese miners have been arrested by the personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at Dunkwa in the Central Region after monitoring and gathering intelligence about their activities in the area.

A statement issued by the GIS and signed by Mr Francis Palmdeti said a profile on the illegal miners indicates that they all hail from Guangxi Province in the Peoples Republic of China.

The Chinese workers did not have work and residence permit which is required to legally reside and work in the country.

The statement said since they were mining on a concession belonging to Force Field Mining Ltd, the firm has therefore been fined GHȼ2, 000 for each illegal miner and is to provide tickets for their deportation out of the country.

Mr Palmdeti warned prospective employers to note that, in section 24 of the Immigration Act 2000 [ACT 573] it is an offence to engage the services of a foreign national who has not been issued with a work and residence permit.

“Similarly, any foreign national wishing to work in Ghana should be certain that their employers have been issued with work permits on their behalf, before they take up the employment.“

The statement said enquiries about the procedure for obtaining a work permit could be sought at www.ghanaimmigration.org, the Receiving Counter or the Public Affairs Unit at the Ghana Immigration Service Headquarters.

Source: GNA