BI rapped for arresting Malaysian owner of crashed airplane

Officials of Laoag International Airlines yesterday accused the Bureau of Immigration (BI) of violating human and legal rights of Capt. Paul Ng, LIA’s Malaysian chairman of the board, when immigration agents arrested him last Friday for working without a permit.

LIA assistant vice president and spokesman Alvin Manuel Yater complained that Ng was arrested on a Friday morning by BI agents and transported by car to Manila where he arrived at night, preventing him from posting bail for his temporary liberty. Ng would only be able to post bail tomorrow.

"This is a violation of (Ng’s) human and legal rights, considering there are laws and regulations, as well as decisions of the Supreme Court, declaring that no person should be arrested on a Friday so as not to deprive him of his right to bail before detention," Yater said in a statement.

He noted that Ng was arrested without any formal charge against him. Ng was merely informed that the bureau was arresting him for allegedly working without a permit.

Yater explained that Ng is "merely" a board chairman of the airline, "a position which is strictly not considered ‘work’ that requires a work permit. Furthermore, he is an investor, which also does not require a work permit."

He added that Ng is sick of a serious ailment arising from a previous accident.

"(Ng) should have been given more humane treatment. Upon the recommendations of his physician, Ng requested to take the airplane from Laoag to Manila to avoid the rigors of road travel and to be able to post bail immediately upon arrival in Manila, but this was denied him," Yater said.

LIA officials were informed by a reliable source that the order for Ng’s arrest came from the BI and the Department of Justice, according to Yater.

"Does this mean that Ng was hastily arrested in order to downplay in the media the raging issue about the $2-million man?" he asked.

Yater deplored the "callous treatment of a foreigner who came to this country to invest his money," noting that this case will be "carefully observed" abroad, and may "add to the bad reputation of this country" among prospective investors.

"He invested his savings in an airline that plied ‘missionary’ routes to provide safe, affordable and fast transportation to Filipinos who otherwise would not enjoy the service," Yater said. "This certainly is not the way to treat a foreign investor, especially when he has not been found guilty of any crime."

He added that the cause of the LIA Flight 585 crash last Nov. 11 has yet to be determined by the investigation being conducted by the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Yater did not issue a comment on the arrest of another LIA official, Australian Jimmy Tan Chui, who also sits on the board of directors and works as the airline’s chief mechanic.

LIA officials and employees, through Yater, appealed to President Arroyo to look into the case in order to give justice to Ng, who has not been convicted of any crime.

"As an investor who has provided employment to Filipinos and contributed to the country’s economic development, Ng deserves fair treatment and consideration. We cannot just treat foreign investors callously and harshly in violation of their rights and expect them to come and put their money (into) our ailing economy. We put our trust in President Arroyo, who has sworn to execute the laws fairly and justly," Yater said.