Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui to the United Nations on Tuesday strongly condemned the brutal murder of Chinese workers in Sudan, extending condolences to the victims and sympathy to their families.

Addressing a United Nations Security Council meeting on Darfur, Zhang expressed strong indignation over the terrorist act, calling for a speedy investigation into the case and severe punishment of the perpetuators.

Zhang said nine Chinese company staff members were abducted from the Kordofan region of Sudan on October 18, and four of them were later brutally murdered.

The representatives of the United States, Russia, France, Italy, Belgium, South Africa, Vietnam and Croatia and other Security Council members and that of Sudan, as well as UN Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy, also condemned the kidnapping and killing of Chinese nationals, offering their condolences and sympathies.

Nine workers from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) were kidnapped from an oilfield near the western Sudanese region of Darfur on October 18.

The Chinese Embassy in Khartoum said they were taken by unknown militants in the Southern Kordofan State, but no group had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Sudanese officials earlier reported to the Chinese embassy that five of the nine kidnapped workers were killed on Monday, with two rescued and two missing. It revised the numbers late Tuesday afternoon, saying four were killed, four rescued and the other remained missing.

The Chinese government has expressed strong indignation over and condemnation of the terrorist act of brutally murdering unarmed Chinese company staffers.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2008)