Ashes of Chinese Hostages ReturnAshes of the two Chinese kidnapped by Muslim gunmen and killed in a shoot-out between the Filipino army and gunmen in the Philippines were brought back to Xiamen Friday.A South China Airline plane landed Friday morning at the Xiamen International Airport, East China's Fujian Province, bringing the ashes of Zhang Zhongqiang and Xue Xing, who were employed by the China Electric Power Technology Import and Export Corp to work on an irrigation project in Carmen town in North Cotabato of the Philippines. They were killed on August 19 in Sultan Kudarat, a southern province neighbouring on North Cotabato. Five relatives of the two Chinese, including Zhang Zhongqiang's wife Weng Xiulan and Xue Xing's brother Xue Min, brought the ashes back from Manila. More than 100 relatives and friends of the two Chinese were waiting at the airport when the plane landed at 11:00. Bodies of the two Chinese were cremated and a funeral ceremony was held in Manila on Tuesday. Filipino President Gloria Arroyo met Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Wang Chungui and relatives of the two deceased Chinese on Thursday in Manila to express her government's regret over the tragedy. Arroyo said the Philippine authorities will spare no effort to help secure the release of Zhang Zhongyi, the deceased Zhang's brother, who is still held by a group of Filipino Muslim rebels. Source: China Daily |
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