Nine activists return home, seven still held by Japan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 26, 2004

Nine activists return home, seven still held by Japan

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Nine Chinese activists and their vessel are now back in east China's Zhejiang province but seven others are stilled detained by Japanese police after they landed Wednesday on a Chinese island in the East China Sea.

The fishing boat, Zhepuyu No. 21114 returned to a port in Leqing city in the coastal province on Thursday afternoon after 61hours' journey.

Yu Haize, organizer of the campaign to land on the Diaoyu Islands, spoke to the media on his return.

"We eventually landed on the Diaoyu Islands, but seven people who landed on the island were detained by the Japanese coastguard."

"We are very much concerned about their situation. The Japanese government should send them back."

A total of 16 Chinese volunteers took part in the mission. The seven Chinese activists, including Feng Jinhua and Zhang Likun, landed on the island at 06:26 on Wednesday after they left a port in east China's Zhejiang province at 1 am Tuesday.

Japanese warships and helicopters intercepted their ship on Wednesday afternoon 12 nautical miles off the island as the Chinese activists planned to return home by the fishing ship.

The Chinese ship first encountered Japanese warships about 3 pm Wednesday, and was forced to change its route, and leave the sea area off the islands.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Thursday China demands the Japanese side guarantee the security of the seven detained Chinese citizens and release them immediately and unconditionally.

Kong said this illegal action by the Japanese side constitutes a serious provocation of China's territorial sovereignty and an abuse of the human rights of the Chinese citizens.

China has lodged nine representations to the Japanese side, Kong said, underscoring the stance of the Chinese government on the Diaoyu Islands issue, namely, that Diaoyu Island and the attached islets have been part of Chinese territory since ancient times and China has indisputable sovereignty over these islands.

The Diaoyu Islands were seized by Japan in 1895, when Japan defeated Qing Dynasty forces. The islands were under US control after World War II, and the United States turned them over to Japan in 1972.

Source: Xinhua

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