Pinoy Weekly - Rights group protests PH gov’t detention of Canadian student-activist

Posted: 14 Sep 2013 05:36 AM PDT

Kim Chatillon-Meunier (Contributed Photo)

The human rights group Karapatan protested the arrest and detention of a 24-year-old Canadian student and activist as she passed through immigration last night, September 13, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for her 7:10 PM flight to Hong Kong.

As of this writing, the Canadian student, Kim Chatillon-Meunier, is being detained at the BI detention center at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig, according to Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan.

Palabay said that an immigration officer named Rosemary Gutierrez informed them that Kim was in a “watchlist” for allegedly participating in the protest rally on July 23 during President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Siegfred Mison, officer-in-charge Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration, was reported to have ordered the detention.

Palabay said that the arrest and detention of Meunier is a violation of her internationally-recognized human rights.
“(We) condemn this blatant harassment and violation of rights of Kim Chatillon-Meunier. This is similar to what the Bureau of Immigration did to Dutch activist Thomas van Beersum to prevent him from leaving the country immediately,” said Palabay.

She was referring to the detention of dutch activist Van Beersum in August after photos of him during the SONA protest went viral in the Internet.

Palabay added that BI’s actions contitute a violation of Meunier’s “fundamental right to free expression and, her right to study and support human rights issues in the Philippines.”

Karapatan asserted that Meunier did not join the protest march during SONA. She later arrived at the rally site in time to observe the rally program.

“Kim was primarily in the Philippines for her internship requirement at the Université de Montreal, Canada where she is a regular student,” Karapatan stated.

Palabay added that Meunier was selected by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) to go into an internship program in the Philippines called ‘Students for Development’ sponsored and financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Canada.

Meunier also attended the International Conference on Human Rights in the Philippines in July.

She also joined the International Solidarity and Humanitarian Mission in Quezon Province, along with other foreign participants, shortly before the conference.

Karapatan said that the Canadian student was also involved in the research and documentation of the reproductive health conditions of women in Tondo, Manila.

Palabay said that at the detention center, BI agents attempted to search Kim’s bags. A Karapatan staff and lawyer Edre Olalia of the National Union of People’s Lawyers intervened and asserted that the BI has no search warrant.
“Karapatan calls on the Bureau of Immigration to immediately release Kim and allow her to go back to Canada. We demand the withdrawal of this so-called watchlist as tools of harassment and suppression of fundamental rights, especially among foreigners who support the Filipino people’s cause,” Palabay said.

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