Chinese brothers to be deported

– for overstaying time in Guyana

Two Chinese men were on Thursday morning fined for overstaying their time in Guyana when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Zeyong Laing, 32, and Zebem Laing, 33, were separately charged for the offence. It was alleged that between June 20, 2016 and May 30, 2017, at Georgetown, the siblings failed to comply with conditions subject to which any permit had been granted, that is to say having been permitted to stay in the country from May 19, 2016 to June 20, 2016 they overstayed the said period.
The men, through their translator, pleaded guilty to the charge brought against them, relating that they were both mechanics who resided in Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) during their stay in the country.
Prosecutor Arvin Moore revealed that the men entered the country legally via Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) using their Republic of China Passports, and were granted a month’s stay in the country. However, on May 30, 2017, Police conducted a raid on a logging work site in Linden where the defendants worked and required them to produce their travel documents per normal.
After the brothers uttered their passports, investigations revealed that they had overstayed their time in the country after checks made with the Central Immigration and Passport Department exposed that the men had never applied for an extension.
When given a chance to speak by the Magistrate, the younger Laing apologised while indicating he was not familiar with the English language.
The elder sibling stated that he was extremely sorry for his action, and had learnt a valuable lesson from his ignorance of the laws of Guyana. In the future, he added, he will see that he educates himself as well as others on the relevant protocols in an effort to prevent a reoccurrence.
They were each ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 or serve an alternative four weeks behind bars. Chief Magistrate McLennan ordered that the defendants be escorted to the nearest port of exit after the payment of the fine or serving the stipulated time.
The brothers noted that they have already purchased tickets to their country of origin and were set to depart on the afternoon flight.