CRIME | Capsized boat may have link to ISIS terrorists

The migrant smuggling boat that capsized off the shores of Macau on Feb 27 may have served as a clue in the discovery by Guangdong Police of a radical Uighur group intending to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group, according to a Hong Kong newspaper.
The Min Pao daily reports that the capsized boat belonged to a migrant smuggling agency with a focus on Uighurs from Xinjiang, sneaking them into Macau for the purpose of transferring them to Southeast Asian countries and eventually joining the ISIS camp.
Following the clue, Guangdong Police reportedly seized 40 Uighurs from Xinjiang waiting in Guangzhou to be smuggled into Macau by the agency. The report said they had been stranded in Guangzhou since the boat capsized.
It also reported that the agency had snuck six Uighurs into Macau during two smuggling trips last month. More Uighur groups have contacted the agency and are now stranded in Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhongshan and Zhanjiang.
The report also linked the Uighur group to Friday’s knife attack in the Guangzhou Railway Station, with the two assailants alleged to be escapees from the police siege operation, who may have carried out the attack as revenge. The illegal migrants on the capsized boat were first reported as alleged gamblers.
In a separate report, local media All About Macau cited an anonymous casino room manager, who said that some of the reasons why illegal migrants take the risk of illegally entering Macau may include debt collection or the withdrawal of capital kept in casinos.
According to the source, many gamblers have their own accounts in the casino, but can only withdraw their capital in person. Therefore, clients that are banned from entry due to previous overstaying or other crimes, or those unwilling to leave an immigration record, might choose to enter illegally.
Besides the least expensive but most dangerous way – smuggling by boat – some high rollers can choose the free “pick-up service” provided by casino room operators. BY