The Bank of China branch in Paris reopened for the first time yesterday since unidentified burglars made off with 400,000 euros (US$356,000) at the weekend.

It was the French capital's first euro bank theft.

The incident took place at the bank's outlet in Rue Laffitte in the ninth administrative district or arrondissement and led to the bank being closed on Monday.

Customer Wei Zhong, a Chinese working in Paris, told China Daily yesterday: "I saw the police at the scene. The phone line was cuts by the burglars, and the local computer network linking the two outlets also shut down, and I could not withdraw money on Monday due to the theft."

The bank's agency in Avenue d'Ivry in the 13th arrondissement, next to the city's Chinatown, was also closed on Monday.

An employee surnamed Li at the Avenue d'Ivry outlet said: "Due to the theft, the business was closed on Monday. That is why, when we opened business in the morning today, there has been a heavy surge of clients queuing up."

Li told China Daily by phone that business yesterday was more than five times busier than usual as customers lined up to convert francs into euros.

Many were overseas Chinese entrepreneurs and Chinese students studying in the city. Bank of China mainly deals with foreign-exchange operations.

Li admitted that the theft was a headache as the cash was part of euro currency held in stock for the transition to the single currency. But she said internal readjustments had been made to keep up with the surge in transactions.

But Li said her employer was referring the case to its insurer in Paris regarding compensation. She gave no details.

Due to the cut phone line, the bank outlet in the ninth arrondissement could still not be reached by phone yesterday.

An official at the 13th arrondissement's outlet said that the phone company France Tilicom had started working on the problem.

The city police could not be reached for comment yesterday.

(China Daily January 9, 2001)