THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the incident in Kuwait last Friday that injured more than a dozen Filipino bikers is not a hate crime that specifically targeted them.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said the Kuwaiti police are still investigating the incident that took place on the Arabian Gulf Road in Kuwait City.
“It is not a hate crime against Filipinos. That’s not what it looks like. What happened is that for some time, there have been concerns in Kuwait over the lack of bike lanes. And there have been incidents, accidents, where aggressive drivers have injured cyclists so with this incident, there will be calls for setting up bike lanes,” De Vega told CNN Philippines.
“It was a hit-and-run incident but eventually the driver surrendered,” he added.
He said Kuwaiti authorities are looking at all evidence, with investigators already getting the statements of Filipino bikers who were released from the hospital after being treated for the injuries they sustained.
“According to the Kuwaiti Ministry of the Interior, there’s a clear traffic misdemeanor. But they are checking all the evidence to see if a felony charge could be filed, if it was an intentional act. They already got the statements of those released from the hospital,” De Vega added.
He also said two of the 15 Filipinos involved in the incident are in critical condition.
“Two persons need major treatment. One has a head trauma, while the other has a fractured vertebra,” De Vega said, adding that Kuwaiti authorities are shouldering the hospital expenses of the victims.
He said the DFA, through the embassy in Kuwait and the Department of Migrant Workers, is also providing assistance to the victims.
DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza earlier said that while the driver had surrendered, “it may be premature to conclude that the perpetrator was targeting a specific group of nationals.
