Chinese workers held in Egypt
Source: Agencies |
February 1, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Twenty-five Chinese nationals working for a cement factory in Egypt are being held by local people in the northern Sinai town of Arish, officials at the Chinese Embassy in Cairo said yesterday.
The Chinese - 24 workers and a translator - were on a bus going to the factory when they were stopped on a road in Arish and taken to a makeshift tent nearby, embassy official Ma Jianchun told Xinhua news agency. Ma said he was on his way to Arish to deal with the incident.
The workers were safe and some were in contact with the embassy by mobile phone, said Zhang Zhizhong, the consular affairs director.
Zhang said the workers were seized around 11:40am local time.
Chinese Ambassador Song Aiguo has talked with officials of the Egyptian interior and defense ministries, urging the Egyptian side to properly handle the incident and secure their release as soon as possible.
Egyptian security forces have rushed to the scene and have contacted local tribal leaders, Zhang added.
The local people have demanded the Egyptian government release relatives detained several years ago because of suspected involvement in attacks in south Sinai between 2004 and 2006.
"We will not release the Chinese until our demand for the release of these sons of Sinai are met," said one.
Sources said the jailed tribesmen were arrested as part of an investigation into bombings at the Taba resort on Sinai's Red Sea coast in which 31 people were killed.
Sinai residents claim they are neglected by Cairo and have attacked police stations and blocked access to towns, villages and industrial sites to show their discontent in the past.
The isolated desert region descended further into lawlessness after a popular uprising ousted Egypt's president a year ago and threw security arrangements into disarray.
Human rights groups say scores of migrants trying to reach Israel, many of them Somali and Ethiopian, are being held for ransom there.
The latest abductions come after 29 Chinese workers were taken hostage by rebels in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan last Saturday.
China has sent a team of officials to Sudan and called upon Khartoum to seek the urgent release of the workers.
The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North said it took them for their own safety.
Yesterday, China's Foreign Ministry summoned Sudanese Charge d'Affaires Omer Eisa Ahmed to express "deep shock" over the abduction of the workers.
"The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting overseas Chinese nationals. We felt deep shock over this abduction incident and are deeply concerned over the safety of the 29 Chinese," Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng told Eisa.
The Chinese - 24 workers and a translator - were on a bus going to the factory when they were stopped on a road in Arish and taken to a makeshift tent nearby, embassy official Ma Jianchun told Xinhua news agency. Ma said he was on his way to Arish to deal with the incident.
The workers were safe and some were in contact with the embassy by mobile phone, said Zhang Zhizhong, the consular affairs director.
Zhang said the workers were seized around 11:40am local time.
Chinese Ambassador Song Aiguo has talked with officials of the Egyptian interior and defense ministries, urging the Egyptian side to properly handle the incident and secure their release as soon as possible.
Egyptian security forces have rushed to the scene and have contacted local tribal leaders, Zhang added.
The local people have demanded the Egyptian government release relatives detained several years ago because of suspected involvement in attacks in south Sinai between 2004 and 2006.
"We will not release the Chinese until our demand for the release of these sons of Sinai are met," said one.
Sources said the jailed tribesmen were arrested as part of an investigation into bombings at the Taba resort on Sinai's Red Sea coast in which 31 people were killed.
Sinai residents claim they are neglected by Cairo and have attacked police stations and blocked access to towns, villages and industrial sites to show their discontent in the past.
The isolated desert region descended further into lawlessness after a popular uprising ousted Egypt's president a year ago and threw security arrangements into disarray.
Human rights groups say scores of migrants trying to reach Israel, many of them Somali and Ethiopian, are being held for ransom there.
The latest abductions come after 29 Chinese workers were taken hostage by rebels in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan last Saturday.
China has sent a team of officials to Sudan and called upon Khartoum to seek the urgent release of the workers.
The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North said it took them for their own safety.
Yesterday, China's Foreign Ministry summoned Sudanese Charge d'Affaires Omer Eisa Ahmed to express "deep shock" over the abduction of the workers.
"The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting overseas Chinese nationals. We felt deep shock over this abduction incident and are deeply concerned over the safety of the 29 Chinese," Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng told Eisa.
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