Seven Taiwanese arrested in Philippines for working illegally
2015/01/30 18:03:13
Manila, Jan. 30 (CNA) Philippine immigration agents have arrested 73 foreign nationals in Makati City, including seven Taiwanese, on suspicion of working without permits, according to Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines.
The Taiwanese are likely to be repatriated, officials at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) said Friday.
Inspectors of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration arrested the suspected illegal workers while raiding an online gambling company on Jan. 28.
Those arrested were from Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States, Australia, Singapore and South Korea, the bureau said in a report on the case.
Taiwan's office in Manila confirmed that seven Taiwanese were among those arrested and that they arrived in the Philippines one or two months ago.
One of them had submitted an application for a permit to work in the country, while the other six were in the process of preparing their applications at the time of the arrests, the office said.
Online gambling is legal in the Philippines, but working without a certified permit is not. Individuals caught working illegally are generally sent back to their home countries.
The TECO said it will offer the Taiwanese any help necessary with their daily needs, but their legal problems will be handled by lawyers working for their employer.
(By Emerson Lim and Elizabeth Hsu)
