Chinese community protests unsolved killings

Wearing white headbands, over 150 Chinese farmers and owners of various businesses came out yesterday in a long vehicular convoy to express their anger and frustration over the latest killing of two farmers and other unsolved homicides involving Chinese nationals on Saipan.

Department of Public Safety Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero and Attorney General Gilbert Birnbrich talk to members of the Chinese community yesterday afternoon on Capital Hill. The group staged a protest over the killing of two farmers over the weekend and other unsolved homicides involving Chinese nationals. (Ferdie de la Torre)

Family members and friends of the victims in three cases of double homicides lambasted the Department of Public Safety for not solving the cases and disclosed that a group of six local men that has been extorting money from Chinese farmers may be involved in the two latest murders.

They mentioned the name of the group’s leader but Saipan Tribune opted to withhold the name at this time so as not to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

As this developed, some of the protesters who joined in the search for the latest victims, Hai Ren Li and Cheng You Li, disclosed that the throats of both victims had been slit and that their bodies were found covered with mango leaves in the grassy area of the old airport in Koblerville.

The Li farmers were last seen on Friday and were found dead Sunday morning. Police classified the case as a double homicide after investigators found visible signs of foul play.

The protesters, wearing white headbands, arrived in a convoy at the Saipan Chinese Association office in Garapan at 10am.

Department of Public Safety Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero held a dialogue with the protesters and families of the victims.

After the dialogue, the protesters proceeded to Susupe, then later to Capital Hill in their desire to talk with Gov. Eloy S. Inos at 12:30pm.

Carrying banners that read: “Victim (sic) are seeking justice” and in a Chinese language with the same message, the protesters walked toward the front of the administration building.

Officers, however, blocked the protesters and told their leaders that they could hold their protest in the parking lot but not near the entrance of the administration building.

Despite the steady drizzle, the protesters converged in the parking lot and shouted for justice for the murdered victims.

A staff of the governor’s office later informed the protesters that Inos was not available to see them at that time, but Attorney General Gilbert Birnbrich and DPS Commissioner Deleon Guerrero can talk to them.

At 1:05pm, Birnbrich and Deleon Guerrero held a closed door meeting with family members of the victims and group leaders in the governor’s conference room.

After the meeting that lasted almost an hour, Deleon Guerrero and Birnbrich talked to the other protesters waiting in the parking lot.

Deleon Guerrero urged members of the Chinese community to continue cooperating with authorities in providing information that will help them solve the cases.

“We are particularly concerned with the safety of every community member here in the CNMI, including all other ethnic communities,” he said.

The commissioner said they appreciate the protesters having this dialog with them.

“I see this as an opportunity for actually for me as the commissioner to be able to communicate with you directly,” Deleon Guerrero said.

Birnbrich echoed Deleon Guerrero’s statements. He assured that the Office of the Attorney General and DPS do not discriminate in any way against any ethnicity or any resident or occupation, or any persons in the CNMI.

“The protection of every single resident of the CNMI is important to this government, to my office, and to the commissioner. So please do not feel that we are in any way discriminating against your community,” Birnbrich said. “In order to solve this crime we need your cooperation.”

At 1:50pm, the protesters left Capital Hill in a convoy and proceeded to a building in Garapan, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation is located.

An FBI agent talked with the leaders and victims’ family members inside the FBI office as other protesters gathered at the first floor of the building. The protesters later went out the building after a police officer asked them to stay outside as the building is private property.

When Saipan Tribune left yesterday afternoon, the dialogue with the FBI was still ongoing.

In an interview with some protesters, they denied that the killing may have been drug related as victims Hai Ren Li and Cheng You Li don’t even smoke and drink beer.

“They are very nice persons. They’re very quiet and just work in the farm. All hotels here know them because they’re the ones supplying vegetables and fruits to them,” one protester said.

A storeowner said the Li victims, who were brothers-in-law, had been supplying her store with cucumbers and watermelons for several years. The storeowner said the victims would both go to her store every other day.

Another storeowner disclosed that a group of six locals has been extorting money from Chinese farmers in As Gonno and other areas on Saipan.

The storeowner said the farmers, including the Li victims, had been forced to give money because the group threatened to kill them.

The businesswoman also disclosed that the Li victims were probably attacked while they were farming in As Gonno because they just planted six pieces of cucumber that day.

She also disclosed that last September, a Chinese farmer stopped farming and moved to another place because the leader of the group pointed a gun and hammer at his head and demanded money.

The storeowner said the FBI should step into the investigation.

She also revealed that a week before couple Guo Huang Xu and Qing Xiu Zheng were killed, the group also extorted money from them.

The bodies of Xu and Zheng were found charred in their house that was razed to the ground by fire last Feb. 23.

On Dec. 8, 2012, couple Jun Li Yang and Jing Liu were found murdered inside their home in San Vicente.