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.