ERC finds evidence of discrimination against Chinese

Jun 01, 2010 News

… store being given last chance

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has confirmed that a popular Georgetown clothing store has almost made it a policy to refuse entry to Chinese. The result is that the ERC is giving the store one last chance to defend itself before deciding to impose sanctions.
ERC Chairman Bishop Juan Edghill said, yesterday, that the ERC decided to investigate complaints by Chinese nationals that they were being denied access into the store to conduct business. Three of the ERC Commissioners decided to carry out a sting operation and found the complaints to be true.
The Commission discovered that from the bag bay the Chinese were being told they are not being allowed into the store.
The store has four outlets on America Street, and according to Bishop Edghill, the owner has visited the ERC and given a written statement confirming that Chinese were not being allowed into his store.
With this written statement, photos and recordings, Bishop Edghill suggested that for the store “it’s almost like a policy” to refuse entry to Chinese.
“I don’t think the ERC is trying to establish at this stage if it happened because we are satisfied with the presence of three of our investigators that it happened.”
When the business owner realised the seriousness of the work of the ERC, he hired a lawyer, and reported that he was being harassed and intimidated by the ERC, the ERC chairman noted.
Bishop Edghill said that the storeowner is being given one last chance to go into the ERC to address the matter, to establish the reason why the store made the decision not to allow Chinese into the store.
According to Bishop Edghill, the business is licensed and therefore has an obligation to facilitate anyone conducting business. He said that the ERC can invoke its power and work with the relevant authorities to execute sanctions.
The ERC was established to promote the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and discourage and prohibit persons, institutions, political parties and associations from indulging in, advocating or promoting discrimination or discriminatory practices on the ground of ethnicity.
Bishop Edghill said the matter has been discussed with the Private Sector Commission and the Georgetown Chamber of the Commerce.
He said that both those organisations suggested that the matter be dealt with at the level of mediation and that the ERC seeks to establish best practices since this is the first time a matter like this has come up.

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ERC finds evidence of discrimination against Chinese

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