2010-06-01 17:30

MACAO - The government of Macao special administrative region (SAR) had put the visa squeeze on one African and five Asian countries in an apparent attempt to tackle the growing problem of illegal workers, overstayers and drug traffickers, the local Macao Post Daily reported on Tuesday.

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The newspaper quoted an order signed by Chief Executive Chui Sai On as saying that nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam will have to obtain visas from the Chinese embassies at their respective countries before embarking on a trip to Macao.

The order does not state any reason for the restriction, which takes effect on July 1. Previously, the six countries' nationals were able to obtain a visitor's visa on arrival, as many other countries' citizens.

Macao Post Daily quoted a police source as saying that the measure is meant to fight illegal labor, drug smuggling and the "growing problem" of visitors overstaying their visas.

According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), 26,705 Vietnamese visited Macao in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 44.8 percent. A total of 6,637 Vietnamese and 1,814 Nepalese migrant workers were employed in Macao in February, according to the Labor Affairs Bureau.