Previous Story
THE ‘BOAT PEOPLE’ TRIAL ‘Enforcers’ threatened to kill passengers –– witness
|
Posted on Sep 28 1999
Another witness in the ongoing alien smuggling trial corroborated yesterday his co-passengers’ claims that the “enforcers” on the boat intimidated them into calling their families in China to ask for more money.
During cross examination by defense attorney Eric Smith, Lin Mei Yang alleged that the “enforcers” had threatened to kill passengers if they disobeyed orders.
Lin narrated that during the voyage, he was sent up to the radio room five times and ordered to call his family to produce more money in full payment of the smuggling fee.
“I told my wife to pay as soon as possible or else I would be killed. My wife said, ‘yes, I will pay, I will pay,'” Lin said.
Lin said he had agreed to pay the snake head 65,000 RMB for his trip to Guam. He paid the initial amount of $10,000 on his departure from Lao Ping.
Lin said he had only learned that his wife had paid his balance after he was sent by federal investigators to Saipan.
Lin was among the six passengers who serve as the prosecution’s material witnesses against the six defendants in the alien smuggling case.
The six were among the 51 passengers found in the fishing vessel intercepted by the US Coast Guard last April.
They came from China’s Fujian Province and sailed toward Guam, where they hoped to be able to get asylum. (MCM)
