China says will protect legitimate rights of detained Indians

Beijing, Jan 14 (PTI) A day after it gave consular access
to 21 Indians detained for allegedly smuggling diamonds, China
Thursday said it would protect their "legitimate rights".
The case is still under investigation, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters here, adding that
she believed the legitimate rights and interests of those
involved would be guaranteed according to law.
Her remarks were the first public statement by China on
the detained Indians who were among 50 people held in the
southern city of Shenzhen on smuggling charges. Out of the 50
detained, 33 were foreigners, including 21 Indians.
"Chinese police detained some Indians suspected of
smuggling," Jiang said when asked to confirm whether the
police in Shenzhen had nabbed 21 Indian diamond traders, the
official Xinhua news agency reported.
The detained Indians are suspected of being involved in
illegal transportation of diamonds from Hong Kong to Shenzhen,
a boom city in south China's Guangdong Province.
"The Indian embassy in China has dispatched officials to
see them," Jiang said, without giving the number of detainees
or their identities.
According to Indian government, two officials from its
missions in China met the detainees one by one.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the people, detained
on January 8, are being "apparently well looked after".
The Indian mission is helping them and arranging legal
assistance for them, she said. (More) PTI