World | Philippines
Palau leader stranded after refusing airline check
President of small island nation declined being frisked before boarding a Continental Airlines flight after an official visit to Manila
- AP
- Published: 00:44 April 4, 2008
Manila: The president of the Pacific nation of Palau was briefly stranded in the Philippine capital when a US airline refused to allow him aboard a flight without being frisked, officials said on Thursday.
Adding a bizarre twist to the incident, the Continental Airlines flight that Palau President Tommy Remengasau would have boarded was targeted by a bomb threat called in to police and was forced to turn back. No bomb was found.
Police would not say whether the two incidents might be linked.
Palau Ambassador Ramon Rechebei said the Philippines has apologised for Wednesday night's incident and paid for a private aircraft to take Remengasau, his wife and ministers to Palau's capital, Koror, later yesterday.
Remengasau was scheduled to leave Manila on a Continental Airlines flight, but he refused to be frisked and returned to his hotel instead.
Rechebei said it was embarrassing for the Palau leader to undergo inspection at the airport, where Philippine officials, led by Vice President Noli de Castro, were on hand to see him off.
The vice president and other Philippine diplomats tried to intervene and asked that Remengasau be exempted from the search in accordance with protocol for visiting heads of state, but the airline refused to budge.
Officials at Continental could not immediately be reached for comment.
Earlier on Wednesday, Remengasau and Philippine President Gloria Arroyo witnessed the signing of four agreements between their countries on air services, medical tourism, education and telecommunications. The two leaders also sought each other's cooperation on facing challenges like terrorism, climate change and rising oil and food prices.
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