Vietnamese say: led to Estonian border by European dealer

Photo: Margus Ansu / Postimees

The 19 Vietnamese and an Armenian, caught violating the border in Southern Estonia, told the court a story of how they, having ventured off to Russia in search of a better life, were suddenly escorted to the edge of Estonia – the entire plan orchestrated by an European «travel agent».

Last Tuesday, as the Vietnamese stood before a judge in Tartu to be cross-examined, the result was a string of stories – similar in pattern, filled with contradictions. Comrades-in-crime, dressed in black winter coats – including a 14 year old lad and a mother of two – claimed as if in chorus to not know each other. In order to enter European labour market, they had invested large money, some jumping deep into debt.

The farther to West, the higher the pay

As revealed by the minutes of court sessions, most stories copy that of Hoang, aged 23. Married, a father of two children, he told the judge how, in first half of 2102, he left his family and went to Russia, in hopes of earning money with a couple of months’ tourist visa. Some of the men, thereafter, worked as cooks, some as builders. Most found no job. As the visas ran out, all became illegal.

Mostly in Moscow and Petersburg, they met people promising them lucrative work in Poland or Germany

Some of the people wandered around in Russia for years, before, mostly around Moscow and Petersburg, they met people promising them lucrative work in Poland or Germany. Hoang shared how he paid a dealer $3,700 (some of them, many times more) and was transported by car from Moscow to the edge of an unknown forest. As the human traffickers’ language was unknown to the man, he never knew that he was pointed to the direction of Estonia. Being totally in the dark as what to do next. Tran, also aged 23, described how they even took pictures of him in Moscow, for travel documents.

Promised jobs

The younger the Vietnamese, the more talkative. The 16 year old Khue, raised as an orphan, vividly described being sold by the family who raised him, for $12,000, to an escort supposed to take him to Germany to work. In Moscow, the escort got a car and drove him to the forest. There, the man left the boy alone. Khue saw his last on February 1^st.

Huong, born in 1992, appeared to lay all his cards on the table. According to him, his parents sold a fortune in Vietnam and took a loan, to pay $16,000 to a person who would organise the trip and fix the papers to get to UK. In Russia, another escort took over, instructions ending at Estonia’s border.

The 23 year old Dinh, however, claimed in all seriousness that he came the whole way all by himself, reaching the forest by taxi from Petersburg. The whole bunch first met in the forest, a couple of days before being arrested. After crossing the border, each went his own way.

Van, who claimed to be 14, told the court how he really did target Estonia, being promised pretty salaries. On his way here, he shared a car with six other Vietnamese, none of whom now stood before the court.

In the group, the Armenian named Garik stands out. He claims to have crossed the border to get to his loved one. Not being hindered by the fact that his passport got lost in Moscow. Garik had forgotten, though, the name of his girlfriend’s home town.

Documents became a burden

The men’s words get blurred as they are asked about the Europeans escorting them to the border. Or where and why they lost their documents. Many said they lost the passport in the woods. Some left the passport in Russia or even in Vietnam – on purpose, as these could be confiscated abroad. The more so that the human traffickers advised against taking the passports, as it was supposed to be easier to get into EU without them.

At least one of the men testified that there were supposed to be people meeting them in Estonia, information was promised to be forwarded by telephone. They even had an escort with them in the forest, who afterwards disappeared.

Head of Southern Border Guard Bureau Tõnu Reinup conceded that in all probability, the 28 illegal entrants were supposed to be met by means of transport. Mr Reinup does not believe that anybody managed to escape the border guards. The eight Vietnamese having documents were sent back, over Narva Bridge, to Russia within 48 hours.

It is being investigated, who among the group organised the transit and whether or not there is any truth in their stories. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese are held in an expulsion centre, which they cannot leave. At the moment, 55 Vietnamese are held in the centre, caught at various times.