7 Chinese crew 'rescued' off Samar waters released after 63 days
Published Apr 1, 2023 07:42 am
After 63 days, the seven Chinese individuals who were “rescued” by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from a distressed supply vessel that got lost in the vicinity waters off Suluan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar last Jan. 27 were finally allowed to go back to their home country.
The PCG Station Eastern Leyte assisted in extracting the seven Chinese crew onboard MV Kai Da 899 in the vicinity waters off the Tacloban Port Anchorage Area on Friday, March 31.
The crew were identified as Chen Zhe Nei, He Cheng Sun, Tong Yat Sun, Lei Deng Zai, Mak Pak Lam, Liu Jian Ping, and Shi Nun Yu.
They have been restricted onboard the vessel and guarded by PCG personnel since Jan. 27.
“The PCG conducted operational procedures and confiscated the crew’s cellular phones, a CCTV hard drive, and vessel flags,” the PCG said in a statement on Saturday, April 1.
The Chinese crew were then brought to the pilot harbor and subjected to a medical examination as well as Covid-19 testing before they were declared to be in good physical condition.
After the checkup, the crew were turned over to Mr. Randy Mendoza, head of the regional intelligence unit of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Tacloban City for their repatriation to China.
It can be recalled that the seven crew members of MV Kai Dai 899 were rescued after the vessel drifted off Suluan Island more than two months ago.
The crew told the investigators that they came from Bashi Channel, a waterway in the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan. Apparently, the hull of their vessel was damaged due to big waves so they ended up floating and stranded at sea for four days before being rescued.
The crew were previously reported to be fishermen but the PCG raised suspicion since MV Kai Da had been identified as a supply vessel and not as a fishing boat.
Identifying the crew also took long since they could not speak English nor present any document such as passport, seaman’s passbook, and license that were needed to verify their names. They were only identified when the PCG got a Chinese interpreter to aid in the inquiry.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila reportedly informed the PCG through a letter dated March 7 that the crew have been “engaged in crime and wanted by China’s police authority.”
The embassy then requested assistance from the Philippine government to deport the crew but offered no other details on their supposed involvement to criminal activities.