4 Philippine Police Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping of Chinese

4 Police Officers Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping of Chinese in the Philippines

On June 7, 2024, four police officers in the Philippines have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping foreign nationals, including three Chinese citizens and one Malaysian. The incident took place near the capital, Manila, in Pasay City. This is not the first incident of foreign police officers allegedly involved in the kidnapping and extortion of Chinese tourists, as similar cases were reported in Thailand at the end of April.

The Philippine National Police held a press conference on June 5th detailing the arrests. According to the report, on June 2nd, two of the officers stopped a private car carrying the foreign nationals. Armed, they forcibly moved the passengers into a white van. Two of the Chinese individuals managed to escape during the abduction and subsequently alerted the police.

Interior Minister Benhur Abalos, during the press conference, stated that one of the victims was beaten by the kidnappers. The victims were released after a ransom of 2.5 million Philippine pesos (approximately 300,000 RMB) was paid. The police were able to arrest the four officers involved based on the victims' accounts and surveillance footage. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other accomplices linked to the case.

This incident has severely impacted public trust and tarnished the reputation of the police force, according to Philippine officials. The authorities emphasized their zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct within their ranks.

The incident bears similarities to a previous case reported on April 25, where individuals claiming to be Thai police officers coerced five Chinese tourists into paying money under the pretense of legal violations in Thailand. The tourists were taken to a secluded location and forced to transfer 2.5 million Thai baht (approximately 480,000 RMB) to avoid charges, after contacting friends in Cambodia for help.

In response to these incidents, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Global Consular Protection and Service Emergency Call Center advised that Chinese citizens abroad facing safety issues should provide personal information, location details, and specifics of the incident to the center. Local embassy staff will then assist the Chinese nationals as needed.

Source: 光明网

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