An illegal immigrant (II) escaped on Monday afternoon while waiting to be taken away in a Macau Public Security Forces a vehicle after questioning at the Public Prosecution Office (MP) in Nape, according to a statement by the Macau Customs Service yesterday.
According to the statement, the Customs Service decided not to disclose the escape until yesterday in order not to affect the manhunt for the escapee.
A spokesperson for the Customs Service told The Macau Post Daily that the escapee is a male from Jiangxi, aged about 32. The spokesperson did not reveal the surname of the escapee but said that he did not have a criminal record.
According to the spokesperson, the man was taken to the Public Prosecution Office on Monday for questioning as a witness in a suspected smuggling case.
6 IIs in a speedboat
The escapee was among six IIs who were caught by Macau Customs Service officers on Sunday afternoon during an anti-smuggling operation near Estrada de Cheoc Van in Coloane. The six IIs were in a speedboat when they were apprehended.
According to yesterday’s statement by the Customs Service, the six IIs were transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further investigation on Monday afternoon. The questioning ended at around 7 p.m. All of them were to be deported to the mainland afterwards, according to the statement.
When the six IIs were waiting for transport to be deported to the mainland, one of them managed to escape, despite the presence of several Customs Service officers escorting them.
The Customs Service immediately launched a manhunt for the escapee. The Customs Service and the Public Security Police (PSP) also launched an anti-smuggling joint prevention mechanism and it also started a joint interception operation with the Judiciary Police (PJ).
‘Black spots’
In addition, the Customs Service immediately started monitoring the city’s various border checkpoints and “black spots” in Macau’s coastal waters, the statement said.
However, the escapee had still not been caught when the statement was released yesterday. According to the statement, the manhunt by Macau’s various law enforcement agencies continued yesterday.
Moreover, the Customs Service is investigating whether the escorting officers were negligent in performing their duty. The statement pledged that the authorities would keep the public posted on the issue.
Wong raises concern
Meanwhile, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday the man was not an “escaped suspect”, adding that the Customs Service was to be held accountable for the escape – not the Public Prosecution Office.
Wong said he believed that the incident was due to negligence by the Customs Service as there were loopholes in the escorting process. However, Wong said that the seriousness of the loopholes needed to be reviewed before one could reach a conclusion on the issue.
Wong made the remarks during an informal press briefing after attending a question-and-answer plenary meeting in the legislature’s hemicycle.
Wong said he hoped that the Customs Service will deal seriously with the incident by “seriously handling” it and carrying out a “serious investigation”.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak talks to reporters at the Legislative Assembly (AL) after attending a Q&A plenary session about his portfolio yesterday. GCS
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