Trapped Chinese journalists in Tripoli hotel safely evacuated

English.news.cn   2011-08-25

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The five Chinese journalists trapped in a hotel in Libya's capital of Tripoli were safely evacuated and properly resettled by the Chinese embassy there, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday.

"With the concerted efforts of the Chinese embassy in Tripoli and an interim Chinese working group to Benghazi, the trapped journalists were finally evacuated by the embassy staff," said spokesman Ma Zhaoxu in a press release.

"Leaders of the Chinese State Council and the Communist Party of China Central Committee attach great importance to the safety of Chinese nationals in Libya," said the spokesman.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had launched an emergency mechanism, and guided the Chinese embassy in Tripoli to overcome all difficulties to help Chinese citizens in Libya, he added.

The Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Tripoli will continue to make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals there, said the spokesman.

All foreign journalists trapped in the Rixos hotel in Libya's capital of Tripoli were released on Wednesday with no one being hurt, media reports said.

About 35 foreign journalists left the hotel after being trapped by forces of Muammar Gaddafi for five days without electricity and other supplies, the reports said.

The five-star hotel has been used by the Gaddafi leadership to accommodate foreign journalists who visited Tripoli after the anti- government protests started in mid February.

Editor: yan

Related Article:

China turns to Libya rebels, urges "stable transition"