Two men who robbed and killed three Japanese tourists in 1993 were executed on Thursday, October 27, 2005 in China's northwestern city of Xi'an, one of the hottest tourism destinations in China.

The Sanqin Daily reported Friday that the two criminals, Hai Ting and Cao Xiude, then 23 and 18 respectively, originally from China's southern Guilin city, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, came to Xi'an, capital of Shaan'xi Province in early June 1993, with a well-planned plot for robbery.

On June 7, 1993, the two sneaked into the ANA Grand Castle Hotel with knives and stockings, when a Japanese tour group was checking in. They followed three of the tourists from the same family who stayed at Room 638.

Later, Hai Ting and Cao Xiude knocked at the door and rushed into the room for robbery and got over 200,000 Japanese Yen and some belongings. Then they killed the three Japanese tourists and fled Xi'an later that night by train. The three victims were later found to be from the same family, two brothers named Sugiyama Chikar, Sugiyama Motoichirou and their sister Abe Fumi.

After 12 years of hard work searching nationwide, police authorities in the southern Guigang city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region found clues to lead them to the two Class-A criminals on July 4 2004.

On July 9 2004, police in the famous tourist city of Guilin learned that the criminal named Hai Ting was living at No 2 on the Jiangjun Road, while the other, Cao Xiude, was at No. 26 on the Zhongshannan Road in the same city.

The two were arrested and sent to Xi'an to face justice. Their fingerprints were matched to fingerprints found at the scene of the murder. 

(CRIENGLISH.COM October 29, 2005)