Mystery surrounds the ultimate destination and intentions of four Chinese illegal immigrants now in custody after a prosecutor said they were wanted by overseas authorities.

The four, travelling on forged Japanese passports, arrived on Thursday from London on a British Airway flight and were due to leave two days later for the US - until a tip-off led to their arrest after being quizzed by Immigration Officers.

In Magistrates' Court yesterday Crown counsel Anthony Blackman said their passports were examined under a microscope and found to be doctored Chinese passports made to look Japanese with false Japanese names. The four admitted they were Chinese.

The four - Zhang Fengzhen, 27, Zheng Minxiang, 22, Huang Zhen Yong, 22, and Hedong Sun, 38 - all pleaded guilty to fraudulently entering false documents on January 11.

Mr. Blackman said: “The Immigration Department wanted them deported but there are inquiries going on.”

He urged the four be remanded in custody.

However Sun, who spoke for the four, said: “We had no bad intentions. We just came here for a holiday.”

He said they had taken a lot of photos and bought many souvenirs. He denied they had done anything illegal but said they had come to Bermuda because it was promoted on the Internet as one of the paradise islands.

He said they had stayed at the “luxury” Grotto Bay hotel and had $3,000 with them.

However Mr. Blackman said: “The reason we want them in this particular matter is they are attracting interest in other places. There is an ongoing investigation.”

He said the four were supposed to be somewhere else in March but he did not want to reveal where and why.

He said: “I don't want to expose too much because of the international investigation.”

He said Bermuda was being used as a conduit.

However Sun denied this and said the four had two-way tickets and had planned to return to France where they had started their journey. He said: “All our flights coming here and going back are connected.”

Duty counsel Llewellyn Peniston called for the four to be immediately deported to save the taxpayers' money.

They were remanded in custody until January 28 by Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves.

Yesterday Government revealed two other Chinese nationals who arrived with forged Japanese passports from Britain on Saturday were picked up at the airport and put back on the aircraft.

Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister is set to speak about immigration at a press conference today at the Cabinet building.