Envoy vows to end passport scam

March 22 2010
The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Professor Prabhaka Jha, says he is taking necessary steps to stop to a passport scam that allows Indian nationals arriving with fake passports.
Prof Jha told the Fiji Times he was appalled at the recent incident where six Indian nationals were deported after they were caught with fake passports.
The actions of those Indian nationals which included two families were shameful, he said.
"I totally disagree with it," he said. "I don't want to see this happening again."
He said he had alerted his Government of the actions of those people saying that they should be punished. "There should be no mercy shown on them," he said.
He said they would take all necessary action to ensure that such scam was not repeated.
The six Indian nationals were deported late last month after the Nadi court ordered their removal. They included two women, one who was pregnant, and a five-year-old girl.
Meanwhile, Professor Jha said his initial two-year contract had been extended. During this time, he said he had gone "almost everywhere". "I have gone to almost every village, met the villagers and talked to them," he said.
Professor Jha noticed a communication gap where people respected each other.
"I like the people, I love this place, the people are so simple," he said.
He reckoned that if one needed to know about Fiji, they had to go to the villages.
Sharing his experience of his encounter with some villagers, Prof Jha remembered an incident where an old man with hardly anything in his possession offered him a glass of water.
"The way he received me, though he was shy, he was happy to have me in his house," he said.
"That is the Fiji that I'm talking about. I really admire and love this beautiful country."
The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Professor Prabhaka Jha, says he is taking necessary steps to stop to a passport scam that allows Indian nationals arriving with fake passports.
Prof Jha told the Fiji Times he was appalled at the recent incident where six Indian nationals were deported...
The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Professor Prabhaka Jha, says he is taking necessary steps to stop to a passport scam that allows Indian nationals arriving with fake passports.
Prof Jha told the Fiji Times he was appalled at the recent incident where six Indian nationals were deported after they were caught with fake passports.
The actions of those Indian nationals which included two families were shameful, he said.
"I totally disagree with it," he said. "I don't want to see this happening again."
He said he had alerted his Government of the actions of those people saying that they should be punished. "There should be no mercy shown on them," he said.
He said they would take all necessary action to ensure that such scam was not repeated.
The six Indian nationals were deported late last month after the Nadi court ordered their removal. They included two women, one who was pregnant, and a five-year-old girl.
Meanwhile, Professor Jha said his initial two-year contract had been extended. During this time, he said he had gone "almost everywhere". "I have gone to almost every village, met the villagers and talked to them," he said.
Professor Jha noticed a communication gap where people respected each other.
"I like the people, I love this place, the people are so simple," he said.
He reckoned that if one needed to know about Fiji, they had to go to the villages.
Sharing his experience of his encounter with some villagers, Prof Jha remembered an incident where an old man with hardly anything in his possession offered him a glass of water.
"The way he received me, though he was shy, he was happy to have me in his house," he said.
"That is the Fiji that I'm talking about. I really admire and love this beautiful country."
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