All 145 Chinese businessmen arrested by the Philippine immigration officials on Wednesday and Thursday have been released after each paying 50,000 peso (about 7,100 yuan) in recognizance, Chongqing Morning Post reported today.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has been dealing with local authorities concerning the arrest of Chinese businessmen, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Ambassador Li Jinjun had an urgent meeting with Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Jose de Venecia yesterday. Li said the Chinese government is greatly concerned about the incident, hoping the Philippine side can properly handle it.

The Philippine immigration officials arrested 102 Chinese businessmen in a shopping mall on Wednesday afternoon and another 43 on Thursday, a local Chinese-language newspaper reported.

The Philippine immigration authorities said that those detainees violated immigration regulations, which stipulate that foreigners are not allowed to carry out retailing business. The arrested Chinese were also accused of working with tourism visas.

The immigration officials said they had received many complaints from Philippine businessmen, who said their Chinese counterparts were engaged in unfair competition.

(China Daily, China.org.cn December 17, 2005)