The staff of the Chinese embassy in Ghana have visited Chinese nationals in detention in the country and provided them with daily necessities as well as medical examinations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday.
The Ghana Immigration Service on Wednesday disclosed that 124 suspected Chinese illegal miners had been detained in Accra, Ghana's capital.
Hong Lei said at a regular press briefing that the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the embassy attach great importance to the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens and will make concrete efforts to protect them.
According to the spokesman, the embassy has lodged several representations to Ghana and urged its law enforcement department to abide by the principle of non-violence, protect the detainees' rights of humanitarian treatment, and ensure their safety and other legal rights.
China asked the Ghanaian side to provide security and assistance for Chinese nationals who wish to leave Ghana, Hong said, adding that the ministry and embassy are keeping a close eye on the situation, and are making great efforts to provide consular protection and assistance for Chinese nationals to protect their safety and legal rights.
He told the briefing that the embassy also sent staff to mining areas to further check information on the case.
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