A gang of teenagers are reported to be targeting Filipinos in Taiwan for attacks, as outrage over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard continues to mount.
With more attacks being reported, Malacañang has advised Filipinos in Taiwan to “limit going out” and said there are plans to bring them home if the situation worsens.
Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Chairman Amadeo Perez Jr. said on Sunday at least two attacks have been reported to Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry and police for investigation.
A group of Taiwanese teenagers were said to be responsible for the assaults, Perez said. In the first case, a Filipino who was hit in the hand, and in the second, a Filipino worker was hit with a bat in the face.
The Filipinos suffered relatively minor injuries in both assaults, according to Perez, adding that his office continues to gather evidence on the cases.
In the latest incident, Marisa Daclag de Guzman, an OFW in Taiwan, said a dormitory in Taichung that houses at least 400 Filipinos was attacked by a group of Taiwanese on Saturday night.
“Only one Filipino was hurt and was brought to the hospital after suffering fractures in hand,” she said in a radio interview.
De Guzman also said that public buses and taxis refused to stop for Filipinos and that they were also barred from leaving the dormitory.
The China Post has also reported that “a 30-year-old Philippine worker was surrounded and beaten by four Taiwanese men on May 16 when he was on his way to work. The police said no one that the worker knows has any resentment against him, so the police suspected that it may have been a random attack.”
“Emotions are running very high in Taiwan,” Perez said.
He said President Benigno Aquino 3rd had already ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to closely monitor the situation in Taiwan and start the repatriation if it is becomes necessary.
“We are always ready to repatriate our people. Besides, the President has ordered DFA that if it is needed, we are ready to repatriate our countrymen in Taiwan,” Perez told radio dzBB.
Perez reported cases of violence against and harassment of Filipinos by Taiwanese who wanted to retaliate for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard last week.
On Sunday Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said de facto Philippine representative to Taipei Antonio Basilio has told Filipinos there “to keep within their workplace and their homes.”
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) officials in Taiwan, Valte said, is verifying reports of harassment of Filipinos in Taiwan.
She said MECO has organized a team to document reports of harassment and assaults against Filipinos in Taiwan and relay it to Taiwan’s foreign ministry.
“They are speaking to the Filipino communities to apprise them of what had happened, what the government has done, and the steps that we’ve taken in light of the situation,” she said.
The government said it has contingencies in place in case there is an exodus of Filipinos from Taiwan.
The labor department said it is looking at other markets such as South Korea, the Middle East and Malaysia that could absorb Filipino workers affected by the current diplomatic row with Taiwan.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment