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| DFA calls for detailed information on arrests of 100 Filipinos in China |
The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines has confirmed reports that more than 100 Filipinos have been arrested in China for alleged migration law violations.
The DFA said in a statement late on Thursday that it “noted” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement on the arrests.
At the same time, the DFA reminded China of a 2013 agreement that requires consular posts to be notified within days of the arrest of its nationals.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
“The Department is in close coordination with our Embassy in Beijing and our consulates-general to verify the circumstances of the arrests, ascertain the exact number and status of those apprehended, ensure that due process is observed, and extend consular assistance as needed,” said the statement.
Chinese authorities earlier said more than 100 Filipino nationals were “taken in accordance with the law” over alleged migration law violations. No other details were announced.
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| The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the arrests |
The DFA the Philippines respects China’s authority to implement its immigration laws. However, it called on Beijing to ensure the rights of the detained Filipinos are respected and to immediately inform Philippine foreign service posts about the details of their arrest, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the 2013 Philippines-China Consular Agreement.
The heads of posts in various cities across China, including Hong Kong, were immediately summoned to a meeting in Guangzhou the day after the arrests were announced, in a bid to try to gather as much information as possible about the individual cases.
Meanwhile, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the detention of the Filipinos could be in retaliation for the arrests of 69 Chinese nationals in Misamis Oriental last May.
In that case, Teodoro said the Chinese nationals were clearly involved in illegal activities in the Philippines, churning out substandard products from a steel plant while keeping radioactive materials and polluting the environment with toxic fumes and untreated waste water.
In the case of the Filipinos arrested in China, he said Beijing has not been forthright in providing details about their individual cases.
