BI to deport two Chinese deported by Canada

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) ordered two Chinese nationals deported for attempting to illegally enter Canada via Manila as a transit point. Canadian authorities last month barred the two from entering the North American destination after discovering that they were using fake Korean passports, Immigration chief Ronald Leadsman said, Thursday. The Bureau of Immigration identified them as Kiang Wen Shu and Li Quan, who were arrested after they were sent back to Manila by Canadian authorities. According to the bureau, an international human trafficking group operating in the Philippines could be behind their illegal journey. In investigation is under way to determine how the Chinese were able leave the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with fake documents, so the bureau can come up with measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, Ledesma said. Ledesma said they suspect human trafficking in the duo’s trip abroad, as they were unable to produce their original passports that could have been switched by the syndicate that supposedly recruited them. According to BI legal officer Jose Carlitos Licas, the two arrived at NAIA on Dec.20 aboard a China Southern Airlines flight from Xiamen using their original passports. Two days later, Jiang and Li left Manila for Vancouver, Canada, this time using fake South Korean passports. Canadian authorities detected the fake documents when the Chinese arrived at Vancouver International Airport and promptly sent the Chinese nationals back to their port of origin, Manila. Immigration officers, alerted about the case of the two, were waiting for them at the NAIA when they arrived on Dec. 24. Licas said the foreigners admitted during investigation they are Chinese, not Koreans, and that the passports they used for Canada were spurious. The Chinese are being held at the Immigration jail in Bicutan, Taguig City until a summary deportation order is issued against them by the BI board of commissioners. They will also be placed in the immigration blacklist and banned from re-entering the Philippines. — With Jerrie Abella/VS, GMANews.TV