By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

A REPORT on the human rights abuses that some Chinese garment workers of Top Fashion say they suffered at the hands of the police is scheduled to be submitted to the administration this week.
“(Department of Public Safety) Commissioner Warfield has already addressed this issue,” Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said in an e-mail. “Again, we believe reasonable measures were taken to protect private property and individual rights.”
He added, “Given the CNMI government’s sensitivity to charges of such abuse, the CNMI has exercised great restraint and continues to make every effort to protect the legal rights of all workers.”
Dozens of female workers complained that their hair was pulled and that they were kicked by police officers more than twice their size when they held a peaceful sit-down strike inside the factory recently that police said led to a hostage-taking situation.
Some of the workers said they arrived on Saipan less than six months ago and are now demanding of refund of recruitment fees they paid to a Shanghai-based recruiter who collected $3,000 from each of them.
Reyes said they understand the workers’ difficulties but no one is allowed to damage private property or harm others.
“When workers act improperly or interfere with the rights of others, DPS has a duty to uphold the law and prevent the workers from damaging property or harming others, using reasonable force dictated by the circumstances and the law,” he said.
“Again, we understand worker difficulties, but they cannot be allowed to violate the law and the rights of others because of unfortunate economic developments beyond our control, such as the effects (Word Trade Rules) and globalization have had on our apparel industry. They cannot be allowed to riot because a factory can no longer afford to operate economically,” he added.
An undetermined number of the victims were treated at the Commonwealth Health Center for bruises.
Top Fashion is scheduled to shut down on July 2.