A Congolese stowaway on a Liberian registered cargo ship who developed a fever while on board was deported on Thursday morning from north China's port city of Tianjin after he was cleared off having SARS.
According to the East Port Checkpost of Tianjin, three Congolese stowaways hid on the ship when it stopped in South Africa. They were found on the way to China and detained on board.
The ship arrived in Tianjin on Wednesday and reported that one of them had been running a fever for three days.
The checkpost immediately sent doctors and police to the ship after it entered the port. They disinfected the rooms and examined the stowaways. The sick man received treatment and was finally diagnosed not to have SARS.
According to international law, stowaways are not allowed to land and must be carried back to the port of embarkation.
The stowaways were taken away on the ship when it left Tianjin on Wednesday night.
(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2003)
