FILIPINOS in the United States were warned to exercise utmost caution in the wake of several assaults by suspected white nationalists against people of color.
Of special concern was the case of a 61-year-old Filipino-American who was slashed across the face with a box cutter while aboard a subway train in New York City last week.
“We note with concern the rise in attacks in Asian Americans in various parts of the United States,” the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. said.
“The Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the USA appreciate the swift action taken by a number of local authorities to apprehend perpetrators of these attacks.”
The Embassy calls on Federal, state and local authorities “to further ensure the protection of persons of Asian descent, including Filipinos.”
Several Asians have been reported assaulted without provocation in recent weeks.
The assaults made headlines in the United States, especially following the death of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, who was shoved to the ground while taking his morning walk in San Francisco on January 28. The incident was caught by security footage.
Two days after the assault, Ratanapakdee died of head injuries.
The assailant, 19-year-old Antoine Watson, has since been charged with and pleaded not guilty to murder and elder abuse.
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