Koreans in the Philippines Petition Against Immigration Crackdown. (Image shown here is Manila city in the Philippines. Image credit: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Immigration officials in the Philippines took more than 20 South Koreans living on the island into custody for questioning before and during the Chuseok weekend, creating a stir in the Korean community.
According to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, the nation’s Bureau of Immigration hauled in 21 Korean citizens living on the island on September 18 and 24 to question their legal residency status. Of the 15 Koreans who were taken in on September 15, six people were released the same day.
One other person was released the next day, but eight individuals continue to remain in custody. Of the six Koreans who were brought in for questioning on September 24, one person was released immediately, but the remaining five people are still in custody.
Regarding the situation, one South Korean posted a petition on the Blue House’s website calling for the government to step up measures to resolve the issue. The petitioner said that Philippine officials have been randomly detaining people from restaurants, kindergartens, language schools and grocery stores that are operated by Koreans.
“Despite having proper visas, officials are taking people away in handcuffs and extorting money,” claimed the post. The petitioner was also critical of embassy officials, claiming that they were being complacent and doing little to protect the welfare of their citizens.
Over 3,000 people have concurred with the petition post. Other posts followed, blasting the government’s attitude and requesting that the Korean embassy take an active role in remedying the situation.
In response, embassy authorities said that they were “keeping an eye on the situation.” The embassy went on to state that there were no confirmed instances of illegal arrests or infringement of human rights. The embassy also said it did not know why the immigration officials were carrying out the crackdown, but claimed that it was not only targeting Koreans. “More Chinese have been arrested,” said an embassy official.
The official also said that embassy authorities will be setting up a meeting with Korean residents association members to gather opinions, as Korean Ambassador Han Dong-man prepares to meet with the head of the Bureau of Immigration on September 28.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
