KEY POINTS:
A Southland man says a 111 call he made early on Thursday morning reached the Philippine capital Manila.
But a Telecom spokesman says the glitch could not have happened and despite Telecom operating a call-centre in Manila, all 111 calls were answered within New Zealand.
Peter Mason, of Lumsden, told the Southland Times he dialled 111 about 2.15am after hearing noises behind shops in Diana St, where he has a flat and woodwork shop, about 2.15am.
Dialling the number from his cellphone, it was answered by a woman with what he described as having a "thick accent" which he found hard to understand.
While the woman knew he had dialled the emergency number, trying to explain where Lumsden was to her was proving difficult so he asked where she was, he said.
"It was definitely Manila. I asked her where she was and she said `Manila in the Philippines'."
Mr Mason said the woman then transferred him to the police communications centre in Christchurch.
Telecom spokesman Ian Bonnar told the newspaper the company traced the call and it had "absolutely, categorically" gone to the Christchurch call centre about 2.30am.
"If you dial 111 there's no way you can be routed through to Manila." That was the case with both landlines and cellphones, he said.
- NZPA
