About 300 overseas Chinese, mostly the elderly, women and children, found refuge at the Chinese embassy and demanded repatriation as soon as possible from the Pacific island nation of Tonga after their homes and business were destroyed, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday.

Over 200 were taken to Tonga's neighboring country Fiji to board an Air China aircraft sent by Beijing yesterday. The plane is scheduled to arrive in Xiamen, Fujian Province, this afternoon.

"Though order has been restored in Tonga, some of the Chinese are in a difficult situation and want to come home. So a chartered aircraft has been arranged at their request," Jiang said.

The ministry also sent a task force to Tonga to assist Chinese taking refuge at the local embassy with food and daily necessities.

Jiang said the Tongan government had assisted in the evacuation and the country's leaders went to the embassy to express sympathy to Chinese nationals.

She also thanked Fiji for its coordination and help. As the airport in Tonga is not able to handle planes with more than 250 seats, the aircraft had to land in a Fiji airport.

Air China has no commercial flights to Tonga and the plane had to take a circuitous route covering a total of 21,100 kilometers over nine countries, according to airline spokesman Wang Yongsheng.

Disputed parliamentary reform triggered riots in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa last week, in which eight people were reportedly killed and 80 percent of the central business district destroyed. About 30 Chinese-run stores were looted or burned down.

China and Tonga established diplomatic relations in November 1998; and about 500 Chinese lived there until the riots.

In another development, Jiang said China welcomed a comprehensive peace accord (CPA) signed between the Nepalese government and all parties concerned.

She also expressed the hope that the parties would continue promoting the peace process, working for the well-being of the people, and contributing to regional peace, stability and development.

The Nepalese government and the CPN signed the accord on Tuesday declaring the end of an 11-year civil war.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2006)