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Hu pays homage to workers

By Li Xing and Zhu Linyong (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-02-15 18:38

DAR ES SALAAM: Jin Chengwei was just a month away from his 22nd birthday when he was killed in 1973 while working on the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.

He was buried 24 km from Dar es Salaam in a quiet cemetery now graced with tall green pines and small yellow, purple and white flowers, a long way from his native Liaoning province. But he has not been forgotten.

President Hu Jintao visited the Cemetery for Chinese Experts Sunday with Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete to pay respect to the 69 Chinese engineers, workers and doctors who lost their lives during work on the "Freedom Railway" project, including the youngest: Jin.

"Jin Chengwei, I've come to see you on behalf of your family," President Hu said in front of Jin's tomb.

Before leaving, he wrote in the memorial guestbook: "The selfless devotion of Chinese experts in Tanzania erected a monument of China-Tanzania friendship. Hereby I salute them with my highest respect."

In the same book, Kikwete added: "It is an honor for me to pay tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their precious lives for the sake of the people of Tanzania and Zambia May their sacrifice be rewarded by the progress of the people of Zambia and Tanzania."

The cemetery holds a special place in the hearts of those who live in the city. Every year during the Qingming Festival, Chinese embassy staff and colleagues from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation join to visit the site and lay wreaths.