Stowaway, 16, hoped to get rich in Dubai

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Shanghai Daily, June 1, 2016
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A Chinese teenager who stowed away on an Airbus A380 from Shanghai to Dubai, reportedly hoping to make a fortune by begging, is being detained, the Consulate General of China in the United Arab Emirates told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

The 16-year-old, surnamed Xu, from southwest China's Sichuan Province, is believed to have snuck into the cargo hold of Emirates flight EK303, which took off last Friday from Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

After the aircraft landed in Dubai nine and a half hours later, Xu was found and arrested by airport police, deputy general consul Ma Xuliang told Shanghai Daily.

Emirates confirmed the stowaway, but refused to comment further "as this is a police matter."

Chengdu Business News said Mian Jinlong, who was appointed to be Xu's translator in Dubai, told it that Xu had scaled the fence at Pudong airport.

Mian told the paper that Xu believed a rumor he heard about Dubai being awash with money and that a beggar could earn 470,000 yuan (US$71,393) per month. In reality, begging is banned in Dubai, Ma told Shanghai Daily.

"We object to such extreme and perilous acts," Ma said, adding that Xu could be penalized by the Dubai authorities for illegal entering the Persian Gulf country and endangering air safety."

The Chinese consulate in Dubai will do everything in its power to protect Xu's rights, Ma added , refusing to comment further or divulge any details.

Mian told Chengdu Business News that as a minor, Xu might avoid a jail sentence, but he would remain in detention for two or three months until an investigation is completed. After that, he will be repatriated to China and could be barred from entering the UAE for life.

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