China urges Pakistan to catch killers

BEIJING - Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged Pakistan to track down the gunmen who killed three Chinese construction workers in a drive-by shooting, Xinhua news agency said.

The attack occured near the southern town of Hub, outside Karachi. A spokesman for the Baluch Liberation Army claimed responsibility, warning against outsiders seeking to exploit the southwestern province of Baluchistan's mineral resources.

"Informed about the murder Wednesday evening, Hu Jintao ordered the Chinese Foreign Ministry, embassy and consulates to require Pakistan to catch the murderers, ensure the safety of the Chinese there and properly handle the aftermath," Xinhua said.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce named the three as Long Hongbao, Wei Jianpin and Zhao Bin, who were helping to build a cement factory, Xinhua added.

Two of the workers were killed on the spot and third died later from his wounds.

Separatists and tribal militants are fighting the Pakistan army in Baluchistan, a sparsely populated but mineral-rich region, that is the main source of gas for the country.

Chinese workers have been targeted in the past, as Chinese firms are heavily involved in infrastructure projects in the province.

A bomb in the Baluch port of Gwadar killed three Chinese engineers and wounded nine in May 2004.

In October 2004, two Chinese workers were kidnapped in South Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and one was later killed when security forces mounted a rescue.

The kidnapping was blamed on al Qaeda linked militants rather than Baluch rebels.

- REUTERS