China yesterday began flying home about 200 of its nationals, who were duped into paying money to get jobs in a factory in Liberia that is not even complete, and warned other such workers not to fall prey to the lure of big money abroad.
The embassy has already sent 62 people home while more are expected to be on the way.
"Business agent" Liu Yudong promised the workers from northeast China's Liaoning Province US$600 to US$800 a month in the "fish-packing unit" in Liberia's capital of Monrovia for which he took US$8,000 each from them.
Liu has been arrested and is under investigation.
After finding the promised factory was still under construction, the workers were dumbfounded and stayed on the compound. The so-called "factory" didn't have even a single piece of equipment.
Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Lin Songtian told China Daily that his embassy, along with the government of Liaoning Province, are trying their best to get the victims back home by providing free air tickets. The government will offer legal assistance, too, to help them get their money back.
Warning people not to fall into unscrupulous agents' traps, Lin said Liberia is a poor African country with a high rate of unemployment. It welcomes investments, but not low-paid foreign laborers.
"Those who want to go overseas to earn money should gather as much knowledge as possible about their destination country and weigh the pros and cons before taking the final decision. Also, they should follow all the legal procedures," Lin said.
He asked them to determine the credibility of the agents, too, before applying for a job and paying them the fees.
Some of the workers stranded in Liberia, however, said they would prefer staying in Liberia rather than returning to China, where they have run up large debts to pay for their ill-fated quest for job.
This is not an isolated case, for the Chinese embassy in Malaysia, too, tried to help about 200 workers get back home just two weeks ago after they went through a similar nightmare.
(China Daily April 19, 2007)
