2008-09-15 12:12:52 - MANILA. BI deports 2 Malaysians involved in human trafficking

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reported the deportation of two Malaysians who were arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) three months ago for involvement in human trafficking.

BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said those deported were identified as Balagobal Kannataasan, 26, and Harisan Amirtham, 34.

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Libanan said the two were sent back

to their country last September 11 aboard a Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur and were also placed in the BI's blacklist of undesirable aliens.

He said the duo were expelled pursuant to a summary deportation order the BI board of commissioners issued against them last Aug. 26.

'The swift and decisive action of our board in immediately ordering the deportation of these foreigners demonstrates our serious resolve to intensify the campaign against human trafficking in our ports,' Libanan said.

The BI chief also lauded the immigration officers who apprehended the Malaysians for a job well done and vowed that there will be no letup in the bureau's campaign to stop human trafficking at the country's premiere port.

'We should serve notice to these human trafficking syndicates that the Philippines is no longer a lucrative place for their operations,' he said.

Investigation showed the two foreigners were about to board a Qantas Airlines flight to Vancouver, Canada last May 2 when they were intercepted by members of the BI's migration compliance and monitoring group at the airport's departure area.

BI officers found their passports to be fraudulently altered and had fake immigration arrival stamps to make it appear that they arrived in the country last April 13 aboard a Malaysian Airways flight.

A check of the airline's manifest on the said date upon further verification, showed the duo were not on the said flight and there is no record of their arrival in the country.

Immigration investigators suspected the Malaysians were involved with human trafficking syndicates who use Manila as a transit point for smuggling illegal aliens to the US and Canada.