The Asianisation of Australia: volume 2, part 1, section 2
Illegal Immigrants
It should also be borne in mind that there are many illegal immigrants living in Australia. All of these people are illegally in this country: Most of them are "overstayers" (those who have stayed in Australia past the expiry of their visa), but some have actually entered Australia illegally via boat or plane (and thus have not been counted in any immigration statistics). The number of illegal immigrants is currently estimated at around 79 800 (at June 1993). Of these, it is estimated that 64% came here as visitors, 20% as students, 7% as temporary residents, with another 9% from other categories. In 1992-93 there were 14 874 illegal immigrants found (of which "some 5560 or 37 per cent admitted when interviewed that they had worked illegally").(5)
The numbers of illegal immigrants may be more than realised, due to the activities of highly organised Asian criminal gangs. As an indication of the seriousness of such gangs, The Bulletin reported that:
"Members of the highly-secret Asia mafia-style groups known as triads and tongs have established themselves in Australian society and are organising criminal activities among Australia's growing Asian community. Groups of Asian criminals are running blackmail and protection rackets in our capital cities and major country towns.
"With the influx of Asian boat people and the increase generally in immigrants from Asian countries, police are alarmed at the growth over the past two years of crimes among established Asian communities. Law enforcement agencies, both State and Federal, are ill-equipped to fight the new criminal threat because they face a language and culture barrier.
"Immigration and Foreign Affairs officials are also probing a large illegal immigration racket among Asians which has been linked strongly with organised crime groups within the Asian community.
"The triads are operating lucrative illegal activities such as prostitution, drugs, gambling and armed robberies in several Australian capital cities. Asians with criminal records in Timor and Vietnam have managed to penetrate the Australian immigration system with bogus documents and gain status in this country"(6).
These sort of activities are an on-going problem. In 1992, it was reported that "Australian officials believe a highly organised Singapore-based international racket arranged the recent arrival of three groups of illegal immigrants on islands in Torres Strait". A commonly used ruse was to fly to Port Moresby on tourist visas, then to travel via boat to the Torres Strait islands, and then on to the Australian mainland. The Age reported the comments of an official from Papua New Guinea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that "PNG recognised there was a problem with foreigners crossing the border illegally, but suggested that Australia should provide more resources if it wanted PNG to boost surveillance"(7).
The Asianisation of Australia:
Statistics (Immigration, Ethnicity, and Trade) (Volume 2)
Australian Nationalism Information Database - www.ausnatinfo.angelfire.com
