2 Chinese fugitives intercepted at Naia

Passengers disembark from their vehicles in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 1 in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, October 6, 2023. FILE PHOTO/Reuters

MANILA, Philippines — Two Chinese fugitives trying to flee the country were intercepted by immigration agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Thursday.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the two fugitives were intercepted and arrested on separate occasions on June 1 at Naia Terminal 1.

“They are now detained at our detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, where they will remain until they are deported,” Tansingco said.

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One of the fugitives was identified as Jun Zhang, male, 36, and is wanted for extortion in China.

Tansingco said he was arrested by immigration agents while attempting to board a flight to Bangkok.

Jun was also pretending to be a citizen of Myanmar, presenting a Myanmar passport under the name Lu Kyin Yang.

“We received advanced information from the Chinese government that he is a fugitive in China and that he would be using that Myanmar passport to evade detection,” Tansingco said.

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He reportedly arrived in April, before Chinese authorities provided the BI the information on his crimes.

Meanwhile, the other arrested fugitive was identified as Tianyi Zhang, a 28-year-old female who also tried to flee the country on a flight to Xiamen.

But Zhang was intercepted amid a deportation order by the BI for being an undocumented and undesirable alien for allegedly working for an establishment involved in prostitution and labor exploitation.

She and two other Chinese suspects also face a case before the Makati City regional trial court for the said crime.

Pending her trial, Zhang and her co-accused were issued a hold departure order by the court.