A Filipina asylum seeker found a novel justification for overstaying
her visa for four years and six months when she appeared at Shatin Court today:
She needed to protect her heath.
When asked to explain, Marilou Rasuento, 67 years old, said she has diabetes and presented evidence in the form of a
vaccination certificate for Covid-19, and receipts from a hospitalization in
2010.
But the reason cited by Rasuento failed to sway Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan, who sentenced her to 16 weeks’ imprisonment.
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| Buksan ang mga tip |
Magistrate Chan cited, for example, the invoice presented by Rasuento as
evidence of her obtaining health care. “This document is asking for payment,”
she said, noting that being a non-resident, she does not qualify for free
medical care.
Pressed further, Rasuento
said it was the ISS -- International Social Service Hong Kong Branch (ISS-HK), the
non-government organization taking care of migrants, asylum seekers and
refugees – that settled the bills as she was an asylum seeker under its care.
Magistrate Chan said such hospitalizations pose a big burden to Hong Kong.
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| TAWAG NA! |
She started with a penalty of 24 weeks but because Rasuento pleaded guilty,
she reduced this by a third.
She did not give Rasuento credit for surrendering to the Immigration Department
after her claim for non-refoulment, which would prevent the Hong Kong government
from forcibly sending her back to the Philippines, failed in March last year.'
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| PINDUTIN ITO |
Rasuento arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor and was given two
weeks to stay, until Jan 2, 2017.
However, she did not leave and stayed until she was arrested
on July 19, 2021.
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| PADALA NA! |
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