Five asylum seekers at the centre of a dispute between China and
Japan were released on May 22, 2002 and flown to Manila en route to
the final destination of South Korea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said that China has
appropriately dealt with the five involved in an intrusion incident
at the Japanese Consulate-General in Shenyang, Northeast China.
In
a brief statement, Kong said that the settlement was made in
accordance with China's domestic laws and international norms and
from a humanitarian perspective.
The five, including a toddler, arrived in Manila last night en
route to their final destination, a Philippine Foreign Ministry
official said.
"There was a request from the South Korean ambassador and Vice
President (and Foreign Secretary) Teofisto Guingona has approved
it," Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary
Franklin Ebdalin said.
China and Japan have been trapped in a diplomatic dispute since
Chinese guards brought the five intruders out of the Japanese
consulate in Shenyang on May 8. China says its police were invited
inside.
As
more evidence emerged to support the Chinese version of the
incident, Japan has begun to take a reconciliatory stance.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi earlier in the day urged
a speedy resolution to the stalemate.
China had insisted it would handle the matter on its own terms and
urged Japan to withdraw "unreasonable" demands for an apology and
the return of the five people.