Saudi pilot removed from RP terrorist list

A retired Saudi airline pilot was removed by the Bureau of Immigration from an airport watchlist of suspected terrorists that prevented him from leaving the country the past six months.

Mohammed Saed Bukhari, 66, said he received a letter from Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo stating that his name had been stricken from the list.

The letter was dated July 1, a day after Bukhari had sued the bureau for putting him on the blacklist without giving any explanation. His case was first published by The STAR on July 1.

Domingo’s letter did not explain why Bukhari was tagged as a terrorist except to say that he was "placed in the blacklist and watchlist upon the request of the US embassy in Manila, relative to a matter of international security."

There was no comment from the US embassy.

Bukhari said he was still not satisfied with Domingo’s letter and that his name was still on the blacklist, which, he feared, could prevent him from returning to the Philippines and get him blacklisted in other countries as well.

"They are throwing me out with a terrorist tag. They are telling me to leave the country in disgrace," said the former airline pilot. "I am a traveler. I love traveling from country to country. I have grown used to it."

It was "obvious" in the letter that the bureau did not investigate him, Bukhari said. The letter only stated the objection raised by Bukhari’s Filipino lawyer, Renato Peralta, over the blacklist.

"This is an indication that they have no evidence against me. All Domingo’s letter said was they have lifted the watchlist order without even interviewing me. On what grounds did they remove me from the watchlist?" he said.

"And to think that they prevented me from leaving the Philippines for the past six months." Bukhari said he learned about the list when he was stopped from leaving the country at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in January.

Bukhari complained that his predicament forced him to shut down his export business in the Philippines, throwing 80 Filipinos in his employ out of work. His Saudi partners abandoned him and he lost business opportunities worth a "fortune," he added.

Bukhari went into business last year upon retirement. He flew for Saudia, the Saudi national carrier, for over 30 years.

The Saudi embassy brought his case to the attention of the Department of Foreign Affairs and had vouched for Bukhari’s integrity, describing him as an "honorable man."

Bukhari earlier challenged immigration authorities to file criminal charges against him. He said authorities should clear his name and allow him to leave the country if they had no evidence against him.