BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION DETAINED THE LEAVING VAN BEERSUM TO DEPORT HIM

By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing, Rome Wednesday 07.08.2013

News item : Immigration to deport, ban Dutch protester   http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/06/13/immigration-prevents-dutch-protester-leaving-ph

The Government, with the Bureau of Immigration, has put itself in an embarassingly ridiculous situation. Thomas Van Beersum was already at the airport to board his plane for home. But he was detained and prevented from leaving the country. Now they want to deport him for overstaying.

Dutch activist Thomas van Veersum

This appears to be an act of harassment on the part of the Philippine agency. Preventing a foreigner from leaving the country so they could deport him? And why was he held, he has not committed a crime. He was, in fact, pointing out a crime being done by the state police force at that moment.

Seeing the violent reaction of the police against an apparent peaceful manifestation is completely foreign to him. He is a West European and from where he came from, the presence of the police in a manifestation is not to harass, coerce and be violent against the protesters. From where he came from, the police are present to PROTECT the protesters from violent elements and guarantee the freedom of the people to express their right to protest is done in peace.

This reamind me of a song by Danny Fabella. BALIKTAD NA ANG MUNDO(The world is upside-down). 

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