Two Chinese illegals barred from flying to UK

Immigration officials on Monday held two Chinese nationals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 after it was discovered that the passengers were being smuggled by a human trafficking syndicate to the United Kingdom.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Port Operations Division (POD) chief Marc Red Mariñas said that the two Chinese nationals, Lin Chen Hui, 29, and Chen Huajuan, 27, were stopped by travel control and enforcement officials from boarding a Philippine Airlines flight to London.

BI commissioner Jaime Morente has already ordered an investigation into the incident, which also includes a possible involvement of airport personnel in the foiled attempt to smuggle the Chinese nationals.

The two are currently detained at Naia’s holding facility pending results of the investigation.

Morente also called on the POD to look into the possibility whether criminal charges should be filed against the two Chinese nationals for violation of the trafficking in persons act.

According to Mariñas, the two Chinese nationals were carrying tampered Macau Special Administrative Region passports intended to illegally enter the United Kingdom.

“They earlier arrived as transit passengers from Dubai and were already at the boarding gate when the BI officers were alerted by airline personnel on their attempted departure,” Mariñas said.

Mariñas said he has already warned BI border officers “to be extra vigilant in monitoring arriving foreigners, especially transit passengers bound for other countries.”