Friday, February 24, 2006
China's blue collar kids
A syndicate of child smugglers was arrested here recently ... for running a racket whereby they would transfer children via Singapore from China to the US where their parents are employed as blue collar workers.
The parents are not legally allowed to have their babies with them as they fulfil their overseas contracts - but were obviously missing them terribly to go to such lengths as to employ smugglers.
The report - in the Straits Times this Saturday - was an unemotional account of how the errant smugglers were caught --but the undertone in the report insinuated that they were no-good baddies on a par with slave traders or prostitute traffickers. While messing with immigration issues in Singapore - which is surrounded by unstable Asian countries with millions of people who would love to come to the wealthy island state in search of a better life - bla bla -- is a big NO NO -- one cant help feeling some compassion for these families who have been separated in such circumstances . The children were put on planes - with false singaporean passports - (no visa required for singaoreans go to the US) in Changi Airport -- It's really a sad state of the world when a country like the US - which is supposed to be the compassionate "Good Guy" who we are all supposed to look up to - is keeping young children from their mothers and fathers - all in the name of making a buck!! \
The parents are not legally allowed to have their babies with them as they fulfil their overseas contracts - but were obviously missing them terribly to go to such lengths as to employ smugglers.
The report - in the Straits Times this Saturday - was an unemotional account of how the errant smugglers were caught --but the undertone in the report insinuated that they were no-good baddies on a par with slave traders or prostitute traffickers. While messing with immigration issues in Singapore - which is surrounded by unstable Asian countries with millions of people who would love to come to the wealthy island state in search of a better life - bla bla -- is a big NO NO -- one cant help feeling some compassion for these families who have been separated in such circumstances . The children were put on planes - with false singaporean passports - (no visa required for singaoreans go to the US) in Changi Airport -- It's really a sad state of the world when a country like the US - which is supposed to be the compassionate "Good Guy" who we are all supposed to look up to - is keeping young children from their mothers and fathers - all in the name of making a buck!! \
# posted by Karen @ 10:34 PM 
