CHARM OFFENSIVE - Orient Aviation

P U B L I S H E R ’ S L E T T E RHELP DON’T HINDERIt was the The Economist that recently estimated sophisticated crimesyndicates were making more money out of smuggling people toother parts of the world than they earn from trafficking drugs.That’s a mind-boggling thought and so are the figures quotedin our main story “Share the Burden”. Headlines tend to be about illegalimmigrants being found concealed, often dead, in lorries and ships’cargo holds or rescued close to drowning in leaky boats on the highseas. Yet people trafficking by air is at an all-time high and becomingworse daily, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).Asia’s airways and airports are among the most popular routeswith the gangs organising the illegal human traffic trade and theytend to keep one step ahead of the authorites in this intense battleof wits. Cities like Bangkok and Manila are centres for the forging ofpassports and visas.Our top international airlines are doing their best to curtail theincrease of people smuggling, investing millions of dollars a year totrain their staff to spot bogus documents. They take the problemseriously, not least because they are fined if a passenger arrives at hisor her destination without proper documentation.IATA says the world’s airlines have paid an estimated US$250 millionin fines alone for unwittingly transporting illegal immigrants in the last10 years. Total costs in dealing with the problem top $1 billion!IATA’s assistant director facilitation services, Bob Davidson,has accused many governments of giving up on the problem anddumping too much responsibility for detecting lawless travellers onthe airlines.Cathay Pacific Airways head of security, Peter Kedward, toldOrient Aviation: “We are supposed to be customer orientated, but theauthorities are turning us into a policing agency.”The airlines need support to at least contain this criminal phenomenon.They cannot do it alone. What chance, for example, do pressuredcheck-in staff have of spotting forgeries that, in some cases, wouldbaffle the best professional crime busters in the world?In October, IATA is inviting airlines, government officials and lawenforcement agencies to the first conference convened to discuss theimpact of people smuggling on the airlines in an attempt to find somecommon ground in dealing with this global problem.This is too big an issue for airlines to tackle alone. Orient Aviationsupports the IATA initiative 100 percent.BARRY GRINDRODPublisher/Managing EditorThe Association of Asia Pacific Airlines members and contact list:Air New ZealandManaging Director, Mr Gary ToomeyGeneral Manager GroupCommunications, Mr David BeatsonTel: (64 9) 336 2770 Fax: (64 9) 336 2759All Nippon AirwaysPresident and CEO, Mr Yoji OhashiSenior VP, Public Relations, Mr Koji OhnoTel: (81 3) 5756 5675 Fax: (81 3) 5756 5679Ansett AustraliaGeneral Manager International,Mr Andrew MillerManager Group Public Affairs,Ms Heather JeffereyTel: (61 3) 9623 3540 Fax: (61 3) 9623 2887Asiana AirlinesPresident & Chief Executive, Mr Park Chan-bupManaging Director, PR, Mr Hong Lae KimTel: (822) 758 8161 Fax: (822) 758 8008Cathay Pacific AirwaysChief Executive Officer, Mr David TurnbullCorporate Communications General Manager,Mr Alan WongTel: (852) 2747 8868 Fax: (852) 2810 6563China AirlinesPresident, Ms Christine Tsung Tsai-yiActing VP, Corp Comms, Mr Paul WangTel: (8862) 2514 5750 Fax: (8862) 2514 5754DragonairChief Executive Officer, Mr Stanley HuiCorporate Communication Manager,Ms Laura CramptonTel: (852) 3193 3193 Fax: (852) 3193 3194EVA AirPresident, Mr Frank HsuDeputy Senior Vice President, Mr K. W. NiehTel: (8862) 8500 2585 Fax: (8862) 2501 7599Garuda IndonesiaPresident, Mr AbdulganiVP Corporate Affairs, Mr PujobrotoTel: (6221) 380 0592 Fax: (6221) 368 031Japan AirlinesPresident, Mr Isao KanekoDirector, Public Relations, Mr Geoffrey TudorTel: (813) 5460 3109 Fax: (813) 5460 5910Korean AirPresident and CEO, Mr Shim Yi TaekVP Public Relations, Mr Seung Jae NohTel: (822) 656 7092 Fax: (822) 656 7288/89Malaysia AirlinesChairman, Tan Sri Azizan Zainul AbidinHead of Industry Affairs,Ms R. Nordiana Zainal ShahTel: (603) 2165 5154 Fax: (603) 2163 3178Philippine AirlinesChairman, Mr Lucio TanVP Corporate Communications,Mr Rolando EstabilioTel: (632) 817 1234 Fax: (632) 817 8689Qantas AirwaysManaging Director and CEO, Mr Geoff DixonGroup General Manager Public Affairs,Mr Michael SharpTel: (612) 9691 3760 Fax: (612) 9691 4187Royal Brunei AirlinesChairman, Dato Paduka Awang Haji AliminBin Haji Abdul WahabTel: (673 2) 343 368 Fax: (673 2) 343 335Singapore AirlinesDeputy Chairman and CEO,Dr Cheong Choong KongVP Public Affairs, Mr Rick ClementsTel: (65) 541 4030 Fax: (65) 545 6083Thai Airways InternationalPresident, Mr Bhisit KuslasayanonDirector, PR, Mrs Sunathee IsvarphornchaiTel: (662) 513 3364 Fax: (662) 545 3891Vietnam AirlinesPresident and CEO, Mr Nguyen Xuan HienDep Director, Corp Affairs, Mr Nguyen HuyHieuSeptember 2001 | Orient Aviation |