Chinese embassy attacks condemned

By Wang Linyan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-08 07:46

China Tuesday condemned Monday's attacks on its embassies in the Netherlands and Germany by mobs that included people demanding an independent "Eastern Turkestan".

The violent embassy protests followed Sunday's riot in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

"We've urged the Netherlands and Germany to abide by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and take all measures necessary to ensure the safety and dignity of Chinese diplomats and diplomatic institutions," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

Qin said both the Netherlands and Germany pledged to protect the buildings and staff.

The violence flared after about 150 "Eastern Turkestan" separatists protested outside the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands' the Hague at 1 pm local time. The demonstration escalated when people hurled stones and eggs at the embassy. Some were carrying knives and others burned China's national flag, according to China News Agency.

Some embassy windows were shattered while its roof, walls and signboards were damaged.

The embassy said it had called for heightened security, but only a few police officers were on scene when the trouble started. More police were drafted in and protesters were dispersed by 3:15 pm.

Machtelt Schelling, a spokesperson with the Netherlands embassy in Beijing, said Tuesday Dutch authorities "deplored" the incident.

"Though protesting and voicing your opinion are constitutional rights, the use of violence is unacceptable under all circumstances, which goes for everyone in the Netherlands," Schelling said in a statement.

"As in any other country, the Dutch authorities must look after the safety and protection of embassies in the Netherlands. The fact that this has not worked out well for the second time with regards to the Chinese embassy is particularly regrettable," Schelling said. "We, as the Dutch authorities, live up to our international obligations and shall therefore pay for the damages unreservedly."

"Within the government, we will have to discuss how to better prevent similar situations in the future."

Also on Monday morning, two unidentified young men attacked the Chinese consulate-general in Munich, Germany. The pair threw gasoline bombs, damaging the building and China's national flag.

Qin added that the incidents on Sunday in Xinjiang were not peaceful protests, but an evil act.

"Anybody calling the violence a peaceful protest is turning black into white in an attempt to mislead the public," he said, while urging countries not to offer support to separatists.

By press time, the death toll from Sunday's violence in Urumqi had climbed to 156 and more than 1,000 people were reported injured.