Manila has duty of protection

Philippine government should match its words with deeds and take resolute actions to bring murderers of Chinese citizens to justice

A total of 12 kidnappings, 10 murders and three robberies targeted at Chinese citizens have occurred in the Philippines from Jan 1 to Sept 18, in which 18 Chinese nationals were killed and another 12 were victims of thefts, statistics from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines have indicated.

Regrettably, no murderers, robbers or thieves have so far been prosecuted or even detained by the Philippine authorities.

"The Philippines holds no hostility toward Chinese citizens and Filipinos have not targeted unfriendly activities at Chinese," a spokesperson from the Philippine Presidential Palace said on Sept 17, in response to inquiries from the Chinese side. "Everyone should know that similar crimes occasionally occur, not in the Philippines alone, but also in the rest of the world."

On Sept 19, the Philippine Embassy in China said, "The Philippine government attaches high importance to the safety of tourists and visitors and their vital interests, and will take resolute actions to bring criminals to justice."

Yet the fact of the matter is a number of Chinese citizens have been killed or harassed and the perpetrators of these crimes still remain at large. The lack of action by the Philippine government and its hollow remarks in self-defense are nauseating.

The Philippine government should undertake its due responsibilities and resolutely investigate any crimes against Chinese citizens within its territory.

The Philippines is obliged to guarantee legitimate rights and interests of foreign people staying within its territory, including Chinese. According to international laws, all foreign people, once admitted to a country, should abide by its laws and decrees, but the country concerned is also obliged to protect the legal rights and interests of foreigners, including their personal safety and property, and ensure that they are not discriminated against. This means the Philippine government has a duty to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens within its territory and to ensure they are not the victims of discrimination.

Given the tense political ties between China and the Philippines at present, the latter has a special responsibility for protecting Chinese citizens. Relations between China and the Philippines remain strained following their dispute over the sovereignty of some islets in the South China Sea and maritime territory demarcation, and hostility toward China has grown in official and non-government circles in the Philippines following the escalation of tensions.

Against this backdrop, the Philippine government has conducted selective law enforcement on Chinese citizens, and some anti-China organizations have even plotted attacks against the Chinese Embassy in Manila. The ever-growing anti-China sentiment has also directly led to an obvious rise in the number of robberies and kidnapping cases involving Chinese citizens. In this context, it is incumbent on the Philippine government to extend special protection to the Chinese embassy, consulates, enterprises and people based in the Philippines.

Any country contravenes its international obligations and forgoes its national responsibilities if it takes legal, judicial or administrative measures that infringe on the rights and interests of foreigners in the country, or takes no precautionary or punitive measures against behavior aimed at executing such damage. In fact, by not properly investigating any crimes against foreigners and so allowing the criminals to remain at large, the Philippine authorities are actually conniving in the crimes to some extent.

In recent months, attacks on Chinese citizens have increased, and in all, 18 Chinese people have been killed. However, no criminals have been detained. The Philippine government's assertion that "the Philippines is a safe place and one of the countries that harbors the most friendly attitude toward Chinese people" is simply a house built on sand.

The Chinese government consistently demands that its citizens abroad abide by local laws, respect local customs, deal with the local people in a fair and friendly manner and at the same time remain vigilant to safety threats.

In view of the deteriorating safety situation in the Philippines, the Chinese foreign ministry recently advised Chinese people to temporarily stop going to the Philippines. But the Chinese government should also urge the Philippine government to undertake its responsibilities and launch investigations into related cases and bring the criminals to justice.

The author is a professor of international law and marine law at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.