Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have rescued a total of 63 kidnapped children and returned them to their families.

Eight children saved from east China's Fujian Province in the most recent case were taken to an identification meeting Tuesday. Five were recognized by their parents, but the other three were unidentified and would have to stay in the Kunming Orphanage pending further investigations.

Since October 2003, the Yunan police department has broken up four kidnapping gangs and arrested 47 people.

Most of the kidnapped children had been returned to their families, said a police department spokesman.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2003)