Most Chinese expatriates detained by Angolan police released

LUANDA - Most of the Chinese expatriates in Angola who were detained in Luanda on Friday by Angolan police without identification have been released, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Luanda Li Chong told Xinhua on Sunday.

Angola police rounded up some 1,000 foreigners in the capital city of Luanda on Friday, including citizens from Portugal, the Democratic Republic of Congo and over 300 Chinese expatriates, to clamp down upon illegal work and stay in the African country.

Li made solemn representations to the Angolan foreign ministry, ministry of interior and Luanda police headquarters over the police action to detain Chinese expatriates without proper identification.

Zhao Haihan, a consular officer with the Chinese Embassy, went to the Mengtada police headquarters, where the foreigners were detained, to secure the release of Chinese citizens who can provide proper travel or residential documents.

Most the Chinese were released but over 30 Chinese were still under detention for the lack of proper documents, and the Chinese embassy urged Angolan authorities to provide proper treatments for the Chinese under detention.

The Chinese chamber of commerce also lodged a protest to the Angolan ministry of interior and Luanda police headquarters for detaining Chinese citizens without identification and alleged police brutalities during the action.

The vast majority of Chinese citizens and companies were legal in Angola and made significant contribution to the post-war reconstruction process of the African country, said Zhao Hongbing, secretary general of the Chinese chamber of commerce, in an interview with Xinhua.

Francisco Ribas, Deputy commander of Luanda police, stressed in an interview with Xinhua that the police action on Friday was by no means targeting Chinese but all foreigners in the capital to streamline the labor markets and to clamp down upon illegal immigration and work in Angola.