Taiwanese detainee dies of dengue

CAMP Vicente Lim, Laguna—A Taiwanese detainee at the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police headquarters here died while two other Taiwanese detainees have been confined in hospital suffering from dengue fever.

The detainee, identified as Xiao Ming Yo, 39, suffered a cardiac arrest last Sunday, according to the doctors at the Calamba Medical Center (CMC).

But in a text message Tuesday, Supt. Cleto Manongas, a doctor and chief of the camp’s medical dispensary, said Yo was also “considered” to have contracted dengue after his platelet count dropped below normal when the Taiwanese was first examined at the camp’s medical facility.

Manongas confirmed that two other Taiwanese detainees, Hong Kai Hen, 21 and Chen Po Han, 29 are confined at the CMC after they were found positive dengue fever.

The Taiwanese were among the 387 Taiwanese and Chinese nationals arrested in a large-scale operation carried out by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Naval Intelligence and Security Force against a suspected cybercrime and human trafficking syndicate on August 23.

They were arrested in Quezon City, Marikina City, and Cainta and Antipolo City, Rizal but because of their sheer number, were detained at the police training gym in the camp.

Manongas and Senior Supt. Ronald Santos, the regional police chief of staff, have both denied that there was an outbreak of dengue, although the camp and its surrounding villages were immediately fumigated on Monday and Tuesday. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon