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No harm caused to Chinese in Mumbai

By Zhu Zhe and Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-28 06:40

Three Chinese nationals caught in the Mumbai mayhem have been moved to safer places, the Chinese Consulate General in India's financial capital said Thursday as the Foreign Ministry condemned the serial attacks that killed more than 100 people.

Other compatriots in the western Indian city are also safe, the consulate general said.

The consulate general is less than 100 m away from Oberoi Trident Hotel, one of the two luxury hotels attacked by terrorists on Wednesday night and the scene of deadly blasts and shootouts on Thursday.

Wang Zhenhua, a consul, said the consulate general was "very fortunate" not to have suffered any damage from the blasts.

Anther consul Zhang Longhai said: "No Chinese citizen or overseas Chinese has been killed or injured in Mumbai."

Two Hong Kong tourists trapped in the Trident hotel have been shifted to safety. And a Chinese cook working in Taj hotel, the other hotel bombarded by the terrorists, managed to escape.

Zhang said there are about 1,000 Chinese in Mumbai, and the consulate is trying to provide all necessary help to them. The consulate general has released three emergency numbers that people with relatives in Mumbai can call to seek information: 0091-9820302546, 0091-9820302548 and 0091-8920535225.

Wang said he was woken up by a deafening noise that shook the consulate building on Wednesday night. Since then the consulate general has been working non-stop, receiving calls from Chinese nationals and organizations, and liaising with hotels and police to inquire about the situation and safety of the people. Security in and around the consulate general has been beefed up, too.

Victims mourned

Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday sent a message of condolence to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. He said the Chinese government strongly condemned the attacks, stressing that the government is firmly opposed to terrorism of any form.

Wen mourned the victims of the attacks and conveyed sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims and those wounded in the violence.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang strongly condemned the attacks and mourned the victims.

Travel agencies are arranging for Chinese visitors to leave Mumbai as soon as possible. At least 200 Chinese business people were in Mumbai to attend a chemical products' exhibition fair, said Hao Zhigang, manager of Nature Travels, a Beijing-based travel agency.

"The fair should have opened in the morning but was cancelled for safety reasons," he said.

Hao said about 20 out of the 200-odd Chinese business people there had booked air tickets and hotels through the Nature Travels. "We are now arranging for them to leave Mumbai for Beijing as soon as possible," he said.

Hao said the company has cancelled all sightseeing plans for its clients in Mumbai, and warned them to stay away from crowded places. "All of them are safe in a hotel, far from any of the attacked spots," he said.

Nature Travels has three more tour groups in other parts of India. "They will be made to end their tour ahead of time and refunded some of the amount they have paid," he said.

The Mumbai attacks have caused a big loss to Hao's company because it had to cancel about 20 tour groups to India Thursday, he said.

But travel agencies are not the only ones that will suffer because of the terrorist attacks. The violence could delay some projects there that Chinese companies have invested in, and raise their costs, the Chinese business people in India said.

"All our work has stopped," Yu Qiang, Huawei Telecommunications (India) Co's Mumbai branch head, said. Most of his staff are staying home because the local government has asked people not to venture out if they can avoid it, Yu said.

Andy Wang, chief representative of China Investment Development and Trade Promotion (India) Center, said: "Companies may now have to buy higher insurance for their staff in India, especially in Mumbai."