Why do criminals prefer Portugal?
By: Prashant Shankarnarayan
December 4, 2005

Portugal is in the news, thanks to Abu Salem. But the mafia don is not the
only one who sought refuge in this European country. There were many others
before him and the reasons behind this human smuggling are history and 
legalities.

On 18th December, 1961, the Indian military annexed the then Portuguese
occupied areas of the Indian Union, ie, Goa, Daman and Diu. As per the
Portuguese legislation, any citizen of Goa, Daman and Diu born in the se
territories before 18 December, 1961 can
apply for Portuguese nationality.

The 1975 Portuguese National Law also holds that descendants of those born
before 1961, until their third generation, can apply for a valid Portuguese
passport.

This is because the Portuguese government concluded that, in 1961, Indian
citizenship was imposed on the residents of those territories.

Hence those nationals should be provided with an opportunity to obtain 
Portuguese citizenship, if they declare their intention and register their
births and deaths at Lisbon.

Ironically, Portugal approves dual citizenship, a concept that the Indian
government does not acknowledge. However, many non-eligible Indians took
this rule as an opportunity to gatecrash into Portugal and then to other
European nations.

These illegal entrants take the assistance of various agents or touts, who
tamper with the TEORs (birth certificates) of local residents. The agents
sold the TEORs to many Gujarat
citizens, notable amongst them are the 
residents of Kheda Jilla, Nadiad, Dholka, Vaso and Anand.

Another shocking fact is that these culprits obtained the details of dead
Catholic citizens from graveyards and used them to fabricate documents.

But advocate Mr Gefito Gomindef, who practices in Madgaon Court, Goa, states, 
Though some criminals must have capitalised on this legal aspect, it is an 
incorrect assumption that this identity theft is rampant in Goa.

This supposition has affected many locals, as the authorities have become
stricter and refused to grant visa to genuine citizens.

Read full text at: http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/december/125049.htm


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