Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Monday China strongly
condemns the violent explosions on Indonesia's resort island of
Bali on Saturday night which left at least 183 dead and more than
300 injured.
Zhang made the remarks when asked to comment on whether there were
any victims of Chinese nationality identified. She said China is
shocked and deeply concerned and reiterated that China has always
opposed terrorism in any form.
It
has been reported that there were some Hong Kong residents and
Taiwan compatriots injured or missing in the blast and the Chinese
Embassy in Indonesia is gathering information and is ready to
provide assistance, Zhang said.
So
far there has been no report that a Chinese national was killed,
Xinhua reported yesterday. According to the report from Bali, two
Chinese mainlanders suffered minor injuries during the bloody bomb
blasts.
A
group of 33 Chinese tourists were traveling on the island when the
explosions took place. Only one of them suffered minor injuries.
The group left Bali on Monday, the report said.
A
man from Hong Kong was hospitalized at one of the six local
hospitals that received bomb victims. He is in good condition and
scheduled to depart Bali for Hong Kong today, Xinhua reported.
A
spokesman from the Hong Kong Rugby Association said on Sunday that
nine Hong Kong rugby players were missing in the explosions and two
referees and a player's wife were injured.
The nine missing players had gone to the nightclub that was hit by
the blast on Saturday and the organization has lost contact with
them.
Indonesian authorities yesterday lowered an earlier death toll to
183. Doctors earlier yesterday put the number at 188. The head of
the Bali health office, Made Molin Yudiasa, said the discrepancy
"could have been because of human error."
Bali police said yesterday they had names of individuals linked to
the blasts, but declined to give any names or details.
(China
Daily October 15, 2002)