简体中文
A total of 3,553 Chinese nationals affected in the recent anti-foreign violence in Vietnam were heading home on board four Chinese ships from the central Vietnamese port of Vung Ang on Monday.
Beijing has dispatched Wuzhishan, Tongguling, Zijing 12, and Baishiling, each with an accommodation capacity of about 1,000 passengers, from the southern Chinese port city of Haikou for the mission.
All the ships had arrived at Vung Ang and departed there carrying the evacuees back to China. They are expected to return to the Xiuying Port of Haikou on Tuesday.
A Chinese working team made up of different government departments, the staff of the Chinese embassy in Vietnam and executives of Metallurgical Corporation of China coordinated closely with the Vietnamese side to make the whole evacuation process safe and orderly.
"Finally home," many Chinese workers sighed upon boarding, with apparent signs of relief on their faces.
At least two Chinese were killed and more than 100 others injured during last week's deadly violent protests against foreign companies in central and southern Vietnamese provinces. The injured have already been flown home aboard chartered flights.
Most of the evacuees are employees of Metallurgical Corporation of China, a contractor in the construction of an iron and steel complex in Ha Tinh Province. The project, invested by Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group, was among the worst hit in the riots.
The protests, looting and arson attacks came after Vietnamese ships and personnel repeatedly harassed the normal operations of a Chinese oil company in undisputed waters in the South China Sea.
Beijing has condemned the violence and demanded that Vietnam take resolute and effective measures to stop all the violence, ensure the safety of all Chinese nationals and companies, punish the perpetrators and compensate affected Chinese companies and nationals.
