VNA: Vietnamese companies face difficulties because of Prague

Hanoi, Nov 24 (CTK) - Many Vietnamese companies specialising in mediating jobs for Vietnamese abroad are facing bankruptcy, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) wrote recently.

According to the Vietnamese side, the cause of such a situation is the Czech Foreign Ministry's recent decision to suspend the admission of new applications for long-term visas for Vietnamese citizens at least until the end of this year.

Prague wants to upgrade the visa issuing system in reaction to the rise in organised crime in the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, underworld practices accompanying the visa procedure and a considerable growth in the number of visa applications submitted by Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese companies point out that employees who have planned to travel to the Czech Republic had to cover all the expenses connected with the journeys and were now waiting for Czech visas in vain.

For instance, according to the director of the Oleco company mediating jobs for Vietnamese abroad, his company had on its list 200 persons waiting for Czech visas.

He says that it was almost impossible for this company to try and obtain visas for these people at present and the company thus has to pay compensation to all visa applicants.

Another Vietnamese company supplying workforce abroad has on its list 600 people whose visa issuing process has stuck in the middle because of the Czech government's decision, the VNA writes.

Its head says that if these employees do not get visas, the company will face a collapse.

In view of the problems on the Czech side some companies have started to orient their activities towards other labour markets, in Bulgaria or the Middle East, for instance, VNA says.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said that the Czech Republic would stop the issuing of long-term visas for the Vietnamese because they often abuse their stay in the Czech Republic and submit forged documents.

Interior Minister Ivan Langer said the frequency of crime among the Vietnamese also in connection with illegal migration was growing. Besides, there is large-scale faking of branded goods, tax evasion and growing of marihuana among them, he said.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (the Civic Democratic Party, ODS) said Czechs had discussed the growing problem with the Vietnamese side for a long time.

Last year alone, Vietnamese asked for visas to the Czech Republic much more than in other EU countries.

Topolanek said the Czech side would follow the situation till the end of this year and then would decide on its future course.