Guinea should bring to justice those responsible for the slaying of two Chinese fishermen as soon as possible, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Beijing Friday.  

When asked to comment on the December 14 incident, spokesman Liu Jianchao said Guinea should take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

On the morning of December 14, seven locals, including three in military uniform and carrying guns, intruded onto a Chinese fishing vessel, which was conducting normal operation in the Guinean waters. The intruders shot and killed two Chinese fishermen.

Liu said Chinese ambassador to Guinea and director of the Foreign Ministry's Consular Affairs Department had emergency meetings with Guinean minister of foreign affairs and cooperation and its ambassador to China. The Chinese officials informed the Guinean side of the issue and requested Guinea to find out evidence as soon as possible and bring killers to justice.

The Guinean side said they will immediately carry out an investigation and inform the Chinese side of the progress in their investigation, Liu noted.

Officials of the Chinese Embassy in Guinea have went onto the vessel to look into the matter and called on fishermen aboard, said the spokesman. The bodies of the victims are now well taken care of and the remaining problems are being handled.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2004)