MANILA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday said that all 70 detained Chinese nationals associated with a steel plant in Mindanao in the southern Philippines have been released.
The embassy said that after facilitating the release of 64 Chinese nationals on May 28, it kept urging Philippine authorities to speed up identity verification procedures for the remaining six detainees. It demanded a fair, expeditious handling of the case in accordance with the law to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.
Two detainees were released on May 29, and two others on June 3. The last two individuals were freed on June 15 and June 17, respectively.
These Chinese citizens had been working at a steel plant in Misamis Oriental province and were taken into custody by Philippine law enforcement authorities on May 15.
On May 29, the embassy said in a statement that the Philippine Department of Justice recently ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that the Chinese nationals had violated local regulations. ■
