China arrests illegal migrants

Police in south-west China have arrested 58 people who were allegedly planning to travel to Britain and work illegally.

They also detained their "snakehead" - the human smuggler organising the trip.

Those arrested came from the same part of Fujian province as many of the illegal migrants who died while cockle picking in British waters in February.

The deaths shocked both Britain and China, and Beijing has vowed to crack down on human smuggling.

The "snakehead" in the latest case, surnamed He, had faked passports and visas and was organising people to leave China via Kunming airport, and travel to Britain via Burma and Brazil, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

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Each migrant had paid 160,000-250,000 yuan ($19,350-30,230) for their planned journey.

All 58 people were from Fuqing, the home town of many of the 23 cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, north-western England, in February. They had been stranded by tides while collecting the shellfish offshore.

Britain flew back 21 of their bodies to China last week. Five people, including three Chinese, have been charged in the case.

Fujian's people have a long tradition of venturing overseas in search of work. As a result, incomes are far above the national average.

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