Two-Bullet Tour

For Vietnamese illegal immigrants, entering Hong Kong to be arrested is nothing more than a simple business decision.

Under Hong Kong law, anyone caught sneaking in gets a 15-month prison sentence. Carrying ammunition earns an additional six months in the pokey.

This is how a Vietnamese man secured 21 months in jail, a sentence which gives him free room and board, three meals a day and $400 a month in prison wages.

Once released, he'll be deported to Vietnam with $5,600 in his pocket. Factoring in his $1,500 snakehead fee, which included passage from Vietnam, a knife and two bullets, he'll come out $4,100 (US$525) ahead of the game.

The judge in the case called it the "Two-Bullet Tour", which takes advantage of existing laws that guarantee time in the slam. The Vietnamese man took the opportunity after losing his job; jail in Hong Kong is far better than unemployment back home:

I wanted to find a job and use my hard work to earn a living here, but if I was to be caught, I could just go to jail and earn money there.

When all the young people in my home town would hang out and chit chat, it was mentioned that some people, when they snuck into Hong Kong, brought bullets so that in the unfortunate case that they were arrested, they could go to prison for a longer time and earn some money.

As I snuck into Hong Kong, I do not wish to be sent back right away. It was not easy for me to come here in the first place so I hope to make enough money to at least cover the cost of my travel.

If the cost of locking up illegal immigrants is less than repatriating them, the government isn't going to change the laws.

The easiest way to cut down on border jumpers would be to cancel prison pay.

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