"We obviously do not mean that there is no such thing as a dangerous visitor, who must be deported posthaste or banned from entry, or indeed arrested and tried when the circumstances call for it. But joining a protest rally should not qualify as a danger; exercising one’s rights to say what one wants to say about the Philippines should not be seen as a risk. The policy, in sum, is counterdemocratic. Worse, it paints a portrait of the Philippines as a place where visitors lose their rights to free expression or to assembly simply because they are visiting. What are we, North Korea? It is the BI’s policy that is undesirable."
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 23:17:50 +0000