03 March 2025
Masako Ganaha just sent from the air over Atlantic:
I’m on air from Panama to Istanbul with Turkish airline.
There are many “Chinese migrants” flying on this flight deported from Panama/ USA.
This is what I found out.
At Panama Tocumen airport gate 35, I saw many migration officers. About 5 officers with “Migracion” on their Jackets. They were escorting Chinese people. Roughly 20 Chinese. They were young. Many women. No children.
I asked one of the officers, “I’m a journalist researching about migration issue. Are those Chinese from US? Are they migrants?”
“They are not migrants. They came to Panama but not allowed to enter the country so they are escorted to the flight from Panama.”
However one of the Chinese man told me a different story.
“I was going to the US but got caught”, laughing.
They were illegal aliens seeking to enter US.
As passengers were going through the gate, some of us were asked to stay at the gate including myself, one Chinese lady, Panamanian lady and a white man.
The Chinese woman looked almost in panic. She was talking on app with someone. Couldn’t speak Spanish nor English. We didn’t know the situation but asked to stay at the gate. Eventually all other Chinese were aboard and she was left alone with three of us.
There was a person on a stretcher who is seated near our seats. Because this person couldn’t move during the flight, people seated around this person was assigned to different seats. That’s why we were asked to wait. But the Chinese woman got worried and started to shed tears a little.
I decided to talk with the Chinese man again on the flight.
He was friendly.
He told me he took boat from Nassau [Bahamas] to Florida and got arrested by the coast guard. Spent two months in jail.
His wife and children are in US.
“The reason Chinese people are going to the US is because cost of living in China is very high and we cannot save money”
He is tired of travel and will go back to China. But there are others still trying to go to US on this flight.
I asked his trip in detail but he did not say. Looks like he doesn’t remember the route, or pretending not remembering.
The photos are his Travel Document. Not passport. He said I can take photo and publish.
He said in Bahama and Turkey, police didn’t like Chinese. They were not nice.
Slapped him and took all the money, passport, phone everything. He said police in both Bahamas and in Turkey slapped him.
In Bahamas police sold one chicken sandwich for $100 each.
According to him, in Turkey there were 34 Chinese in one building across 5 floors.
Someone called the police and police raided the apartment.
At that time he had all the document to stay in Turkey but didn’t have passport because he was applying for a visa to Nicaragua.
Then police arrested him.
It sounds like they have been arrested, robbed many times over and over again but kept going.
As I was asking him many questions he eventually said he is tired because he drunk beer and went back to his seat.
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