Kidnapped Fishermen Back HomeSeven fishermen returned to China on June 4 after being detained a week by Phillipine coastal police, bringing back the body of Fu Gongwu, captain of the fishing boat "Qionghai 01068" who was shot on May 26 by the coastal police.Fu's body was returned after strong requests from his family. The morale of the fishermen who returned was also low and they were in very bad physical conditions. Most of them were still adversely affected by their detainment, the Guangzhou-based Guangzhou Daily reported on Monday. Fu's ship was detained by Philippine coastal guides on May 26 when a heavy storm pushed the boat into the Philippine sea areas. The newspaper quoted the returning fishermen as saying that Philippine coastal guides shot at the fishing ship with America-made machine guns, and Fu was shot dead immediately with 10 or more bullets hitting his head. Fu Gongwu's wife fainted just after she heard the news about her her husband. She is still in very poor health. Fu's relatives told the newspaper that Fu bought the boat for 500,000 yuan (US$60,240). Fu borrowed the money from his friends and local banks. Up to now, Fu just worked to pay back the money he borrowed, his relatives said. The Chinese Government has expressed strong dissatisfaction concerning the accident and asked the Philippine Government to deal with the issue quickly and properly. The boat was badly damaged and Philippine police confiscated all the communication equipment on the boat. |
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