New Zealand's biggest city Auckland has seen increasing criminal offenses to Chinese visitors lately.
It is learned by Xinhua that there have been a number of bag snatches and car thefts on visitors from China. Moreover, criminal activities are growing at the moment.
In this month alone, the Chinese Consulate General in the city has received several complaints.
One Chinese visitor who had just arrived at the Auckland International Airport had his parked car broken into and lost his entire luggage.
Then on May 4th, a 10-member Chinese delegation's vehicle was broken into while it was dining at a restaurant. All the luggage including air tickets, US dollars in cash two passports, video cameras were stolen.
Again on May 6th, an economy delegation from Jining City, China's Shandong Province, was on the Mt Eden summit, a scenic spot. While the members were taking photographs, a male Caucasian offender snatched a bag off one of them, which included air tickets, US dollars in cash and two passports etc.
On May 20th and 21st, similar incidents happened on the Mt Edensummit to delegations from Changsha City, China's Hunan Province, and from the Chinese National Radio and Television Bureau, causing great money losses to them.
The Chinese Embassy and the Consulate General in Auckland have reported these cases to the New Zealand side soon after they took place. They have urged the New Zealand police to take effective measures to apprehend the offenders and locate the stolen property as soon as possible.
An official of the Chinese Embassy told Xinhua that he was shocked and indignant at the fact that there emerges a gang of criminals who take Chinese visitors as their targets in New Zealand's biggest international gate city at the time when friendly exchanges between the two countries have been increasing.
These types of offenses, he added, have caused great difficulties and inconveniences to the Chinese nationals traveling here.
"Not only have the victims suffered financial loss, but they have also been traumatized. At the same time, these crimes have harmed New Zealand's international reputation," the embassy official said.
He urged the New Zealand side, the police in particular, to pay close attention to the problem, give heavy blows to the criminals and protect the Chinese visitors' property and safety.
(People's Daily May 25, 2002)
