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Indonesia to release 59 Chinese fishermen
By Zhu Yanting (China Daily Guangxi Bureau)
Updated: 2009-07-08 17:44

Indonesia agreed to release 59 of the 75 Chinese fishermen captured while the Chinese were fishing in China's tradiational fishing area, the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia said on Tuesday. All of the 59 will return home on July 10.

Seventy-five Chinese fishermen and eight vessels from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were detained by Indonesia on June 20 while working in the waters around China's Nansha Islands.

The rest of them were still in detention and a delegation sent by the Guangxi government is negotiating with the Indonesian side to release the other 16.

Chinese officials met Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda in Indonesia on Monday afternoon. The Indonesian minister said he would coordinate all of the parties to let the Chinese fishermen go home as soon as possible.