"China repatriates trafficked 'illegal' SE Asian workers found at Guangdong factory" 17 March 2022

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have repatriated dozens of Vietnamese migrant workers found working illegally at a factory in Yangjiang, with four Myanmar nationals awaiting repatriating, RFA has learned.

The 48 Vietnamese workers were sent home recently following their arrests on Jan. 20 during a raid on the Yangjiang Huaqiang Hardware Factory by local police, a police officer who answered the phone at the Baisha police station near the factory told RFA on Thursday.

"This case is being handled by the Jiangcheng branch of the Yangjiang police department, and we assisted them by sending officers," an officer surnamed Guan told RFA. "They are foreigners who aren't allowed to work here ... without a work visa, so they should be deported."

Repeated calls to the Jiangcheng police station rang unananswered during office hours on Thursday, as did calls to the factory.

While some Myanmar nationals managed to evade arrest during the raid, four -- who hail from Sittwe county, Pauktaw township and Myauk U township -- are now awaiting repatriation, sources told RFA.

According to family members, the arrested workers were identified as Maung Maung Chay (or Nay Myo Aung) of Kundaung Village, Ponnagyun Township, Min Thein Naing and Nga Soe Aung from Nga-wet-swei village, Pauktaw township, and Moun San Myint from Mrauk-U township, all in Rakhine state.

Myanmar sources in China said the workers had been smuggled into China by labor agents and employed illegally, Hla Hla Win, the wife of one of the arrested men, Min Thein Naing, said police once used to notify the factory of raids in advance, but hadn't done so for the Jan. 20 raid. [...]

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[Note by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

According to RFA's Chinese coverage of the same story, RFA called the administrative division of Yangjiang Huaqiang Hardware Factory and asked about the repatriation. The phone conversation as reported in the Chinese story is translated below by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:

Reporter: The four Myanmar nationals and 48 Vietnamese nationals arrested in January - have they been released?

Answer: Who are you?

Reporter: Their families are asking. They were arrested but have they been released?

Answer: I don't know much about that matter.

Reporter: Have the Vietnamese left?

The company representative hang up.