Philippines protests U.S. maltreatment of Filipino sailors

1/31/2005 12:00:00 PM GMT

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) protested on Monday the ill treatment of 13 Filipino sailors by the U.S. authorities.

The DFA said that the thirteen sailors worked on the American “MV Katerina” ship.

It added that U.S. officials treated the men in a bad manner after they agreed to appear in a criminal court to testify against the captain of the ship.

DFA spokesman Gilbert Asuque said that the 13 Filipino crewmen were handcuffed and shackled with leg irons after they were subpoenaed by the United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California, as material witnesses for a criminal case.

"These are not defense witnesses. These are government witnesses. They invited these people and they still cuffed them. They should show them some courtesy," Asuque said in a radio interview.

He added that the men were shackled on Nov. 23, 2004 when they were transferred from the Holiday Inn in San Pedro, California, to the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

"The Attorney General's office said this is standard procedure during criminal cases. We are protesting this," he said.

Asuque also said that the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. sent a complaint to the U.S. State Department.

The DFA said that the 13 Filipinos agreed to testify against the officers of the "MV Katerina" after they were ordered last year to throw oil waste and garbage at the Port of Long Beach, California.

The vessel was later found guilty of illegal discharge of oil-contaminated wastes into the ocean and falsification of pollution prevention records, DFA said.