The hunt is on for three teenage Chinese girls who arrived in
Newcastle in the United Kingdom on a flight from Paris, traveling
on false Japanese passports.?
They have not been seen for two weeks and fears are mounting
they could be in the hands of human traffickers, although local
police say there is no evidence they have been forced into
prostitution since they went missing.
"We are keeping close contact with Newcastle police and we are
also making appeals to find the three youngsters," said an official
from the Chinese Consulate-General in Manchester on Friday.
"We were told (by local police) that the three missing girls
speak mandarin but we're still waiting for final confirmation of
their identities," he said.
The three missing girls, identified by local police as Weng
Meifang, 15, and 16-year-olds Lin Xiuming and He Yunjin, were
detained by immigration officials at Newcastle Airport. They
claimed asylum and were then put into the care of social services
on March 27.
They were given temporary accommodation in a house in the
Elswick area of Tyneside under the supervision of social workers
since local councils have a duty of care to asylum seekers.
But they vanished on March 30.
The official said the welfare of the girls is their first
concern and extensive inquiries have been made to trace them.
Police have handed out their photos and talked to people in
local Chinese communities.
Juliet Singer, of the National Missing Persons Helpline in
Britain, said: "These girls, not yet adults, could suffer long
term, both physically and mentally from the abuse that may follow
their disappearance.
"Not only that, they are missing from their families who may
have no idea of their distress or whereabouts," she said in a
statement.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Napier, of Northumbria Police, who
is leading the hunt for the girls, said: "This is primarily a
missing persons' inquiry and that is still how we are treating
it.
"We know nothing about their movements prior to arriving in this
country," Napier told local media. While there are concerns these
girls could end up being exploited there is currently no evidence
to suggest that is the case, he said.
Earlier reports said children as young as 10 were being smuggled
into Tyneside by criminal gangs.
(China Daily April 16, 2005)