IN an apparent effort to sway the Philippine government from its suspicion of a possible security breach and espionage, China suddenly came up with a statement supporting the crackdown on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.
In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila went as far as prodding the Philippine government to ban offshore gaming operations for good.
According to the Chinese Embassy, the raids conducted by Philippine law enforcement agencies on several POGO hubs, which resulted in the arrest of Chinese nationals, is imperative if only to neutralize criminal activities perpetrated by their own people.
“We appeal to the Philippines to ban POGO at an early date so as to root out this social ill,”the statement further reads, even as China insisted that they have nothing to do with POGOs.
“We firmly oppose any baseless accusation and smear against China in connection with POGO,” it added.
Labeling POGOs as “detrimental,” the Chinese Embassy claimed that even their government does not allow its operation in China.
“The Chinese government strictly cracks down on Chinese citizens engaging in gambling business abroad including POGO.”
“Ample evidence shows that POGO breeds serious crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, human trafficking, and murder,” the Chinese Embassy added.
For the last five and a half years, some 3,000 Chinese nationals have been implicated in POGO and fraud-related cases. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
