Da Nang company chief, 8 staff held for forging documents for illegal emigration

Phung Ngoc Hung, 59, director of Star Light company, which is involved with labor export and sending students to Canada, and eight of his employees are being questioned for brokering people's illegal exit from Vietnam.

In March two men named Phap and Luc of the central city’s Son Tra District contacted Hung for assistance to go to Canada as a family-sponsored visitor.

Authorities said Hung knew they did not qualify for emigration to Canada in that manner, but instructed an employee, Thuy, to create profiles for them to apply for visas.

Thuy then instructed other employees, My, Sy, Linh, and Nhi, to forge documents including birth and marriage certificates for them.

Hung also instructed Thuy to arrange for Phap and Luc to travel to Japan and other Southeast Asian countries to make their passports look more "appealing."

Hung received around VND800 million ($32,600) from the two men's families.

On Sept. 25 Phap and Luc went to Da Nang Airport but were prevented from leaving by the police for "exiting Vietnam with different purposes than what their visas stated."