Visa-free abuse leaves Thais and Czechs stuck at border

By SCOTT INGLIS

The Government is stripping Thai and Czech visitors of their right to enter New Zealand without visas because hundreds have been caught abusing the visa-free scheme.

The scheme, which has operated for Thais since 1987 and for Czechs since 1996, has been suspended for at least a year because too many people have tried to work illegally in New Zealand or filed false refugee claims.

The visa-waiver programme aims to open up travel for genuine visitors by granting them three-month visitor permits at the border. The Government says that 905 - or 73 per cent - of the 1239 people refused entry to New Zealand last year and this year were Thai nationals.

On average, 30 Thai nationals make refugee claims each month. Of the 188 decisions on Thai claims made this year, only one has been approved.

In 1999 and this year, there were 1630 Czech visitors to New Zealand, and 129 of them claimed refugee status. None has been approved.

"The scheme is being abused by some Thai and Czech nationals seeking to either work illegally in New Zealand or to lodge unfounded refugee claims," said Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel.

Those who were refused entry had aroused the suspicions of immigration officials.

"If they turned up with a set of tools and said they were coming for a holiday and they were going to stay in a motel for a night and they didn't know where they were staying after that but they were meeting somebody who they didn't know the name of ... then one would assume they were here to work.

"And sadly that was happening a lot."

Ms Dalziel said there were organised groups bringing Thai women in solely to work in the sex industry, and men and women to work in industries such as clothing and building.

Ms Dalziel said making them obtain visas should solve the problem. The Immigration Service had opened an office in Bangkok to process visas, and Czech applications would initially be processed by the service in London until an officer closer to the Czech Republic was found.

"They will have to convince a visa officer who is in a much better position than people at the border in New Zealand to determine whether the visa application is genuine or not," she said.

The Czech Republic honorary consul in Wellington, Miroslav Paulik, blamed the problem on Romanies, the European gypsy people who came from his country.

"It is not the Czech people ... Of course we are not happy about it." He said he did not know what his Government's response would be.

A Royal Thai Embassy source said his country was considering its response. It believed the decision was unfair.

New Zealand has just approved visa-free entry to this country for Mexicans.