China issues complaint over actions of Finnish Border Guard

Discrepancy in visa information leads to problems at Helsinki Airport

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China has issued an official complaint to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs over the treatment of passengers and diplomats at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. An argument at the airport escalated into a brawl, involving shoving, coercive measures, and biting, say Chinese and Finnish officials.
      The Chinese Embassy filed complaints over the issue to the Foreign Ministry and the Border Guard. The matter has also been handled in Beijing, where an attaché of the Finnish Embassy gave an account of the events to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
      The Finnish Border Guard is drawing up a report on the matter, which is expected to be completed soon.
     
The incident began on December 19th, when a group of ten Chinese businessmen arrived from Canton, seeking to travel to Sweden via Helsinki. Border Guard officials stopped the group, because the reason that they gave for their trip differed from what they said when they applied for their visa.
      "False information was given on the reasons for entering the country", said Lieutenant-Colonel Matti Sarasmaa of the General Staff of the Border Guard.
     
The group of Chinese felt that it was unreasonable that they were turned back, because everyone in the group had valid passports and visas. The group spent the night at the airport, and the next day the border guards began to take the fingerprints of the Chinese, and to photograph them. This caused some anger.
      Two diplomats from the Chinese Embassy arrived to look into the situation. Diplomat Zhan Liming said that he tried to stop a passenger from being moved, but ended up being pushed by a Finnish border guard himself.
      The incident became even more complicated, when a Chinese couple that happened on the spot tried to take photographs of the situation. Border guards dragged the man away with the help of a special hold. The women resisted, biting one of the officials, and the Border Guard filed a criminal complaint.
      "I was truly surprised and angry about the brusque behaviour of the border guards. I believe that they violated the Vienna Treaty on the protection of diplomats, as well as human rights, which Finland have defended", says Zhan Liming, the head of the Consular Section of the Chinese Embassy.
      Juha-Mikko Hämäläinen, who has compiled the report of the Border Guard, says that the officials involved did not know that Zhan Liming and his colleague were diplomats.
      Finland has promised to give an official response to the incident when the investigation is completed.
     
Earlier this month the Border Guard said that it is concerned about the increased number of Chinese who travel to Finland, or who use it as a transit point. This is seen as increasing the danger of illegal entry into the Schengen zone via Finland.
      According to Matti Sarasmaa, the December incident is not typical of the treatment of Chinese citizens.
      "These things happen. People are turned away from the border every day. We will certainly investigate to see if our officials have behaved as they are expected to."
      Zhan says that also last July, members of a Chinese delegation issued a complaint about their treatment in Helsinki.
      "I hope that officials will now take measures so that nothing like this happens again. Up to now, Finland has had a good reputation among the Chinese", Zhan says.


Links:
  Border Guard concerned about increased direct flights between Finland and China (15.2.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat