About 310 overseas Chinese, including 21 from Hong Kong, are expected to arrive in Guangzhou from the Solomon Islands by a chartered flight in the small hours of Tuesday, which is the largest one ever held in nearly 20 years.

During the recent unrest in the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, dozens of residences and shops in the city's Chinatown were looted and set on fire. Hundreds of local Chinese residents were forced to flee their homes.

The Chinese government has arranged chartered flights of four sorties within the past 48 hours, evacuating 312 overseas Chinese from the riot-torn South Pacific state to Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Zhao Yanbo, political counselor of Chinese Embassy in PNG, said there were about 300 Chinese stranded in the islands, and all the evacuees were picked up based on their own willingness.

Twenty-two Hong Kong residents having Hong Kong identity card, with their families altogether 41 people, have been withdrawn from the Solomon Islands, said Lee Siu-Kwong, secretary for Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, adding they are all safe and under good care of the Chinese embassy.

The Chinese government attaches highly importance to the security and legitimate rights of the overseas Chinese. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have instructed the Foreign Ministry and relative departments to take all measures to ensure the safety of the overseas Chinese in Solomon Islands.

Since China and the Solomon Islands do not have diplomatic relations, the Chinese foreign ministry made urgent contacts with the governments of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, asking them to provide assistance to Chinese citizens if necessary.

Two diplomats from the Chinese Embassy in PNG brought to the stricken overseas Chinese some medicine. The Red Cross and Red Crescent branches on the islands provided local Chinese with living necessities at the requirement of the Chinese government. Australia and New Zealand also helped evacuate the people.

With the help from the Chinese Embassy in PNG and the PNG government, the overseas Chinese passed the Customs and were allocated into four hotels in Port Moresby, capital of PNG.

The 15 overseas Chinese, who arrived in Guangzhou of South China's Guangdong Province and Shanghai Municipality on Sunday, were warmly greeted by relatives and officials. The local governments will help them solve their problems as losing identity papers and children's education.

A coup d'etat took place in the Solomon Islands on June 5, 2000, and the Chinese government altogether withdrew 116 overseas Chinese at that time.

Source: Xinhua