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China Not Barring UK Police in Immigrant Probe
China denied on Tuesday that it had barred British detectives probing the deaths of 58 illegal immigrants in a tomato truck and said it was making preparations for their arrival.
"The report is groundless and irresponsible," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao of a report in Britain's Sunday Telegraph which said Beijing imposed the ban after London refused to let Chinese officials question two survivors of the tragedy.
The bodies of the 58 Chinese immigrants, believed to be from the southeast province of Fujian, were found in a truck last month at the port of Dover in England's southeastern county of Kent.
A British Embassy spokesman said Chinese officials had asked to see the two survivors but had been refused access because the survivors had not given their consent, which was required under the Vienna Convention on consular relations.
"On this occasion that access has been offered but has been declined by the two individuals," the embassy spokesman said.
"Our police have offered to interview them again on behalf of Chinese authorities."
The Sunday Telegraph said the Chinese were not allowed to talk to the survivors because ministers felt they had already suffered enough trauma watching the others die.
Zhu said he hoped British police would visit China soon to cooperate in the investigation into the failed people-smuggling scam.
"At present, China's relevant departments are collecting blood samples of the relatives of the dead in the Dover tragedy to make necessary preparations for the British police," he told a news conference.
"We welcome the British police to come to China after the completion of technical arrangements to start our cooperation in cracking down on illegal immigration."
The British Embassy spokesman said British police had yet to set a date to come to China.
"The Chinese authorities at this end are carrying out some preparatory work prior to a visit by Kent police," he said.
"Work has been going on between the two sides to take forward the investigation. My impression is that there's been good cooperation."
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