Foreign Ministry and embassy officials in Iraq are
awaiting developments from contacts with Iraqi religious leaders
helping to seek the release of the eight Chinese hostages.
Diplomats have contacted the local Association of
Islamic Clerics, who assisted in securing the release of seven
Chinese held in Iraq last April, sources said.
An influential Sunni Muslim body also called for
the release of all kidnapped people in Iraq yesterday on the
occasion of the Muslim feast of Adhaa.
The Association of Muslim Scholars appealed in a
statement for Muslims "in all parties that have kidnapped people,
to release them and end their suffering whoever they are, Iraqis or
others."
The statement called on kidnappers to "deal with
them according to the norms of our religion, and not to terrify
them by threatening them with death or other means, which Islam
forbids."
Meanwhile, government leaders urged officials to
continue all efforts in seeking the safe rescue of the eight
workers from Fujian
Province, believed to have been abducted as they were traveling
to Jordan.
President Hu Jintao,
Premier Wen
Jiabao and others voiced concern over the safety of the men,
and ordered Foreign Ministry and embassy staff to take every
possible measure to gain their freedom.
Also yesterday, officials from the foreign affairs
and commerce ministries issued emergency warnings for nationals,
including business people and construction workers, to be cautious
and to avoid traveling to Iraq. Those who do work abroad should
employ legal channels, they said.
A Chinese entrepreneur who has been doing business
in Iraq for more than 20 years helped to clarify just where the
eight hostages were working; he said the men had no links with US
troops.
According to yesterday evening's Beijing-based
Fazhi Wanbao, the last man thought to have had close contact
with the hostages, Chen Xianzhong, said the site where the men had
been working was a clothing-processing plant owned by Chinese
business people
Iraqi insurgents had accused them of "working for
one of the Chinese companies helping to build American facilities
in Iraq."
"It is fantastic talk to say they were working for
companies helping the Americans with their facilities," Chen was
quoted as saying.
Chen said ten natives of Fujian Province came to
Iraq with the hope of earning money early last year. They met him
five months after their arrival and were introduced by him to the
clothes-processing company, which required reconstruction.
"They stayed in Iraq for about a year," said Chen,
who later helped them fill out their visa applications to
Jordan.
Two of the workers, Chen Bo and Weng Zuxue, stayed
in Iraq and didn't go with their countrymen, who began their
journey to Jordan on January 12.
Yang, a Chinese representative of the
clothes-processing company, said, "I have no idea why they were
kidnapped by those militants since our company doesn't have a
single link with the United States." He said they had left the
company in November.
The hostages were named yesterday as Lin Qiang (39
years old), Wei Wu (19), Zhou Sunlin (18), Lin Bin (39), Lin Zhong
(38), Chen Qin’ai (37), Zhou Sunqin (17) and Lin Xiong (34).
(China Daily/Xinhua News Agency January
20, 2005)