Immigration authorities stopped three Syrian nationals with fake Greek passports. The trio boarded a flight in Manila destined for Taiwan, later admitting that getting an immigration stamp in Taiwan, which offers Greek citizens visa waiver status, would make it easier for them to enter Europe. Unfortunately, they didn’t plan on getting caught in Taiwan. These three Syrian individuals tried to use fake Greek passports to enter Taiwan. While the use of fake passports isn’t uncommon, the National Immigration Agency was surprised the nationality of these individuals. Kang Ching-nienNational Immigration Bureau They are Kurds, and because of Syria’s protracted civil war, they are looking for a safe place to live.These two men and one women are Kurds and have admitted to paying an illicit group US$15,000 apiece, or the equivalent of NT$450,000, to purchase these Greek passports. They boarded a flight in Manila and landed at the Taoyuan International Airport, as they planned to stay in Taiwan for 10 days before traveling to Europe. Unfortunately, they were nabbed by Taiwan’s immigration officials.Kang Ching-nienNational Immigration Bureau I thought they had a little language problem, and all three used Greek passports with fake immigration stamps from both Malaysia and the Philippines.These three individuals were sent back to Manila, in accordance with international aviation conventions. Immigration officials in Taiwan believe crime syndicates may be trying to use Taiwan’s reputation to increase the effectiveness of their human smuggling operations.

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