According to a report from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines late on September 3rd, on September 1st, a Chinese citizen passed away during his detention at the Philippine Immigration Bureau before being repatriated. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines was deeply shocked and saddened by this incident and immediately communicated its regrets to the Philippine side.
My embassy emphasizes that it has previously informed the Philippine detention facility that this Chinese citizen suffers from serious underlying diseases, and his health condition poses a significant risk. The embassy has explicitly requested that the Philippine detention facility pay close attention to his physical condition and take necessary medical treatment measures promptly. The Chinese embassy has also asked the Philippine side to immediately conduct a comprehensive and fair investigation into the incident, uncover the truth as soon as possible, and provide a comprehensive and objective report to the embassy. Any dereliction of duty or malfeasance discovered during the investigation must be seriously addressed by holding the relevant personnel accountable.
Life safety is the most fundamental human right. Regardless of one’s status or whether they are in custody, life and basic human rights should be guaranteed. China urges the Philippines to take immediate and effective measures to ensure that detained individuals receive necessary medical care and humanitarian treatment, and to firmly prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
This is another case of a Chinese citizen who died in a Philippine immigration detention facility, disclosed publicly this year. On May 28th of this year, a Chinese citizen involved in offshore gambling was reported to have passed away in the Philippine Immigration Bureau prison. The embassy requested a full investigation at that time. The Philippine Immigration Bureau later told local media that the initial assessment was a cardiac arrest, with no signs of murder; the final results were not announced at that time.
As of press time, no equivalent news releases have been found by Filipino mainstream media regarding the death incident that occurred on September 1st.
