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Chinese national fails to escape ports police
A foreign national reportedly jumped over the fence in the smoking area of the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport last Jan. 6 after being denied entry by immigration.
Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Chris Tenorio, along with other unofficial sources, confirmed the incident.
Tenorio, when asked by Saipan Tribune, declined to provide further details about the incident.
“[CPA] cannot say anything at the moment. I am just waiting for [Commonwealth] Ports Police to submit the report to me,” said Tenorio.
Unofficial sources said the Chinese national, who was denied entry to the CNMI, jumped over the fence at the smoking area, crossed the runway, and jumped the fence going toward Obyan Beach before being seen by a passerby.
The passerby then informed the Ports Police, which caught the Chinese national and brought him back to the airport.
The Chinese and Russian visa waiver program has exponentially increased the amount of tourist arrivals in the CNMI, with the former leading in numbers of overall tourist arrivals.
Chinese tourist arrivals were at its peak last fiscal year 2016, with numbers reaching more than 200,000—almost half of the total number of foreign arrivals in the CNMI.
Chinese nationals are also the leading nationality in tourist childbirths, at more than 90 percent of total tourist births in the CNMI.
