Su Jian, Chinese ambassador to East Timor, shakes hands with Chinese citizens at the Chinese embassy in Dili May 28, 2006. China will on May 29 send a chartered plane to evacuate its citizens from riot-torn East Timor because of the deteriorating situation in the country. (Xinhua Photo)
 
China will send a chartered plane on Monday to evacuate Chinese citizens from riot-torn East Timor as 200 citizens have sought shelter in its embassy.

"As the situation in East Timor is deteriorating and some people have been killed or injured, the Chinese government will on Monday send a chartered plane to evacuate Chinese citizens there," said a statement released by Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese evacuees from East Timor are expected to arrive in Xiamen, a coastal city in east China's Fujian Province, on Monday night.

Violence took place in East Timor in late April after the East Timorese government decided to sack almost half of the country's soldiers, who protested against poor conditions and staged a strike.

Su Jian, Chinese ambassador to East Timor, speaks to Chinese citizens at the Chinese embassy in Dili May 28, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)
 
The situation in East Timor deteriorated on Thursday when at least nine people were killed and 27 others were wounded.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that "no Chinese citizen has so far been injured or killed in the violence."

There are about 500 Chinese citizens in East Timor, and many have already left, the ministry said.

A work team of Chinese Foreign Ministry will go to East Timor by the chartered plane to facilitate the evacuation mission.

"Since the eruption of riot in East Timor, the Chinese government has been closely following the situation, particularly the safety of Chinese citizens there," the statement said.

On April 25, the Foreign Ministry issued an advisory warning Chinese citizens against traveling to East Timor.

"Chinese citizens in East Timor shall pay high attention to their safety, make emergency preparations and keep a contact with the Chinese Embassy in East Timor," according to another travel advisory posted Thursday on the website of the Foreign Ministry.

With the deterioration of the situation in East Timor, the Foreign Ministry has asked the Chinese embassy in East Timor and relevant embassies to prepare themselves for the mission of evacuating Chinese from East Timor.

By Saturday, nearly 200 Chinese citizens had sought shelter in Chinese Embassy in East Timor, where they were offered tents, food, water, medicine and other living necessities.

Due to fiercer violence, East Timor President Xanana Gusmao postponed his China visit, which was originally scheduled from May29 to June 3.

Last month, China evacuated 325 Chinese nationals, including over 20 Hong Kong compatriots, from the unrest-hit Solomon Islands, which doesn't have diplomatic ties with Chinese mainland.

The foreign ministry vowed earlier that compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are all under China's consular protection, and China will make all efforts to protect them within capacity.

It is reported that Philippines and some other countries also started evacuating their citizens from East Timor.

East Timor, which shares a land border with Indonesia's West Timor, is a former Portuguese colony. The country ended the 25-year-long Indonesian rule and became the world's newest nation in May 2002.

Editor: Yan