Several gunmen and dozens of Yemeni fishermen attacked three Chinese fishing boats in the sea near Aden on Tuesday, killing one Chinese fisherman and injuring another.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Yemen have urged the Yemeni side to further investigate the case and to arrest the criminals as soon as possible.

Officials from the Chinese Embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana held talks with the Yemeni Foreign Ministry and fishery departments, urging them to further investigate the case and better protect the lives and property of Chinese fishermen, an embassy official surnamed Yang told China Daily in a telephone interview Thursday.

The attackers, including dozens of Yemeni fishermen, shot dead Chinese fisherman, Li Shishi, and wounded another fisherman, Ying Jiguang, both from China International Fishery Group, on Tuesday morning on the sea southeast of Yemen.

The attackers robbed three Chinese fishing boats after forcing them to cast anchor.

Five Chinese fishing boats were operating in the area when the incident happened.

Consular Wu Chuanqing with the Chinese General Consulate in Aden, southern Yemen, flew to the incident site to help investigate the case.

The injured fisherman received medical treatment in a local hospital in Yemen, the embassy official said.

The Chinese Embassy contacted the Yemeni Foreign Ministry again on Wednesday, urging it, together with other relevant departments to "take actions to further investigate the matter,'' Yang said.

The Yemeni side expressed regret over the death of the Chinese fisherman and promised to provide a proper solution to the case, according to the official.

(China Daily July 25, 2003)