【明报专讯】今年7月一名来温就读语言学校的中国留学生突然失踪，警方证实事件发生5天后，再有2女1男中国留学生失踪，4人均是报读同一间学校的语言课程。警方怀疑学生不知所终案是有预谋的“跳船”事件，已经将案件交给加拿大边境服务局(CBSA)，以签证到期，逾期居留事件进行调查。
温哥华警方发言人范宁(Tim Fanning)证实，今年7月中国四川少年翁国文(Guowen Weng)失踪后5天，与翁国文同班的一19岁青年，及分别16岁及17岁的两名少女同告失踪。
警方相信这4名中国留学生，皆是利用参加温市中心BCC语言学校的短期语言课程为理由，进入加拿大即不知所终。翁国文是在今年7月12日抵温，6小时后便拿□随身背包离开寄宿家庭，至今下落不明。
范宁透露，警方追查翁国文在失踪前所打的电话，发现电话的另一方在渥太华。温警方虽然与翁国文家人取得联系，但对方并未配合，之后更拒回警方的电话留言。他指警方从未见过有家长于子女在海外失踪后还如此“无所谓”，判断翁家是有意不让其他人找到翁国文的下落。
BCC语言学校董事罗宾逊(Brian Robinson)强调，该校过去从未发生过这类学生“跳船”事件。校方在大陆的留学仲介与4名失踪学生的家人联系，皆发现对方漠不关心。他判断这些学生对加拿大一无所知，一定有人在幕后统筹整个“跳船”事件。
加拿大移民部发言人莱茨(Ben Letts)则证实，警方已经将案件交由加拿大边境服务局以签证到期，逾期居留事件进行调查。他指，由于4名学生只是就读ESL暑期班，在6个月内，只需持有效旅游签证即能进入加拿大，签证期根据他们所入读课程长短而定，一旦签证过期，他们必须要离开加拿大。他更透露，加拿大边境服务局“自有找人的方法”。
莱茨强调，不一定只有中国学生会有逾期居留问题，中国留学生逾期居留的人数也不是特别多，并不能将逾期居留或是非法移民与中国学生画上等号。他承认，这类事件确实很不寻常，移民部过去也很少有连续多人无故失踪的情况。
移民律师李克伦(Richard Kurland)认为，有可能家长早已知道子女“跳船”的计划。他不认为加国需要收紧留学生签证，毕竟这次只有4名留学生，并不代表加拿大的留学制度出现严重漏洞。
中国驻温哥华总领事馆教育参赞薛亚霏则指出，目前中国学生前往外国其实相当便利，不理解为何会有学生采取如此极端的手段。
中国游学生失踪 疑预谋跳机
翁国文抵达温哥华后即去向不明，不久其他三名团员亦告失踪，警方相信四人为蓄意跳机。图为翁国文的护照。（陈元诚摄）
【世界日报记者阮耀毅温哥华报导】7月初抵温参加游学团，旋即失踪的16岁中国学生翁国文，迄今下落不明。同团另有三名中国学生，也在一周内相继失踪，且家长毫不担心，显然早有预谋。专家指事件将对未来中国学生签证产生负面影响。
今年7月13日来自中国四川的翁国文，在抵达温哥华寄宿家庭后，不久即告失踪。他原定参加由温市中心BCC英文学院所举办的夏季游学团。警方将其列为失踪人口，并呼吁大众协寻。
根据温市警局资料显示，在翁国文失踪五天后，同一游学团又有一男二女，共三名来自中国的团员失踪，年龄分别为19岁、16岁及17岁。警方相信他们四人都是利用参加短期游学团作为幌子，根本是预谋跳机进入加拿大。
警方追踪翁国文手机的通联记录，最后通话地点是在渥太华，显然他在失踪不久，就经熟人接应前往加东，目前去向不明。
温市警局发言人范宁表示，警方试图与这些学生在中国的家人连络，但家人根本不愿配合，甚至相应不理。
他说如果孩子真的失踪，父母肯定相当着急，但到目前为止，并未看到他们的家人飞来加拿大找人，因此警方相信他们四人安全无虞，且不愿被发现。
BCC英文学院教务主任罗宾森（Brian Robinson）表示，过去该校从未发生过类似事件，这些学生的代办公司告诉学校，家长们根本毫不担心。他说，以这些学生的年龄判断，本地一定有接应的人，否则他们不可能在一个人生地不熟的国度平白失踪。
目前警方已将他们4人档案移交给加拿大边境服务署（CBSA），如果他们在全国任何地方遭盘查，警方会立即知道他们属失踪人口，并将四人留置到移民部官员抵达为止。
移民律师王仁铎表示，移民局向来对中国留学签证审核甚严，但由于申请者众，难免有人会藉此跳机，在加拿大非法居留。
他说，加拿大驻北京大使馆将学生签证申请案外包给民间公司审核，可能造成一些漏洞，让有心人士有可乘之机。
他认为，这些跳机人士以读书作为幌子，主要目的应是到加拿大非法打工，或偷渡进入美国，甚至他们的年龄都是假的。他预言事件将让移民局更有理由拒绝中国的留学生签证，一些真正有心到加拿大求学的中国学生，可能因而遭池鱼之殃。
4 missing B.C. teens may be part of bigger immigration scam
Wendy McLellan , Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008
VANCOUVER – An immigration scam or a sinister case of human smuggling may have led to the disappearance of four Chinese teenagers who enrolled at a private language school in Vancouver.
All four teens disappeared within days of arriving for a summer youth program at BCC Academy of English, said Brian Robinson, director of studies for the school.
One of the boys, 16-year-old Guowen Weng, disappeared a few hours after settling at his homestay on July 12.
Vancouver police say the boy arrived at his host family’s home at 2:30 p.m. and went out for a walk at 8 p.m. He never came back.
The others, a 19-year-old boy and two girls aged 16 and 17, disappeared a few days earlier.
“We are surprised, confused. We don’t know what’s happened,” Robinson said Thursday.
He said the teens were registered in the same program and were recruited by an agent in China.
“It was all organized through the agent,” Robinson said. “It was the first time we had a contract with him.
“The agent has been trying to contact the families, but they have been disinterested in his inquiries.”
Robinson said the school collected the teenagers’ passports when they arrived and have handed them over to police.
Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said the lack of concern by the teens’ families suggests they may be involved, and may have family or friends in Canada or the U.S. who are willing to care for their kids.
Or, he said, human smugglers may have targeted the school as a way to get the teens into the country, and the names on the temporary student visas may not belong to the people who arrived here.
“It was probably just bad luck that this particular school was targeted,” Kurland said. “It looks like it was planned from the start as an abuse of the application process, and I don’t think four teenagers possess the sophistication and resources to plan an immigration scam.
“The concern I have is for the two girls – how are they going to support themselves? The sex trade is always something to be concerned about. What is alarming is the cavalier attitude of the parents with children missing in Canada – I think that indicates an intent to do something wrong.”
Kurland said Canada has strong controls over student visa applications and “jumpers” who try to use the system to gain entry are rare.
“They try to scam their way into Canada with fraudulent documents, but the enforcement grid is so tight, they rarely succeed,” he said.
Vancouver police are not treating the four missing teens as missing-person cases, although they did issue a news release on July 13 asking for public assistance to find Weng. There have been no similar alerts about the other three teens.
Police said the four files have been handed over to the Canada Border Services Agency.
? Vancouver Province 2008
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f03b73c1-6cae-46ce-8c97-1d0a1005f0a1
