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YAO YUAN
Yao Yuan and Li Ming said that downstairs in the hotel where they live, a large number of Muslims gather every day to sit on the grass, and very few people wear masks.
Although the epidemic situation of China’s new coronavirus has greatly improved, the disease is still spreading worldwide. In China’s neighboring country Pakistan, some Chinese tourists said they were forced to stay for more than a month due to the suspension of Pakistan’s international flights, and that they did not receive help from the Chinese embassy.
Beijing tourist Yao Yuan flew from mainland China to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, in mid-March and planned to return to China after 10 days of free travel. However, on March 21, due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the Pakistani government decided to suspend all international passenger transport, commercial charter flights and private jets to and from Pakistan, causing it to remain in Islamabad for over a month. . Seeking help from the local embassy and the Chinese Foreign Ministry failed, he was greatly disappointed and helpless.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University on Friday (May 1), more than 16,000 new cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Pakistan, and the death toll has reached 385.
Help the government in vain
Pakistan originally suspended international flights until April 4, but the government has been extending the ban. In late April, the Pakistani government declared that international flights would be suspended until May 15. The blockade continues to be postponed, and flights purchased by Yao Yuan and some stranded Chinese passengers have been repeatedly canceled.
“For example, the airline was closed until April 14, some airlines started selling tickets after April 14, but then the government announced a delay, so the flight was canceled,” he said.
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YAO YUAN
Yao Yuan bought tickets for Thai Airways, Etihad, China Southern, and Pakistan Airlines. Among them, Etihad Airways canceled four times, China Southern Airlines canceled twice, Thai Airways canceled twice, and Pakistan Airlines canceled once: “The first hope is disappointment, then disappointment is desperate.”
“Like buying a lottery ticket, it took 50,000 to 60,000 yuan and no one won!”
Zhejiang tourist Li Ming is also staying with Yao Yuan, who originally planned to return to China on March 22, but did not expect Pakistan to close on the 21st. Currently, the company he worked for has resumed work: “If I don’t come back, I think I might lose my job.”
Yao Yuan and Li Ming attempted to appeal to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and the Foreign Ministry, but neither department was able to assist them. They believe that the two departments are pushing each other.
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In late April, Pakistan entered Ramadan.
“By contacting the embassy, they said they did not have the authority. Even if they had to send planes to pick us up, they would not be able to make the final decision. They needed unified internal control,” Yao Yuan said. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China) told me that I collected my information and sent it to the embassy, then my question went back to the embassy.”
Chinese BBC journalists contacted the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and the Chinese Foreign Ministry many times on Thursday and Friday, but after transferring several staff members, no formal response was received.
In late April, Pakistan entered Ramadan. Yao Yuan and Li Ming said that downstairs in the hotel where they live, a large number of Muslims gather every day to sit on the grass, and very few people wear masks. They are both concerned about the infection and have rarely been turned off.
Hong Kong picks up stranded passengers
On the other hand, the Hong Kong SAR government dispatched a special plane on Thursday (April 30) to pick up 319 stranded Hong Kong passengers from Islamabad. The Hong Kong government states that these passengers will undergo further mandatory coronavirus testing when they arrive in Hong Kong. After collecting deep throat saliva samples, they will take a special car to the Foyang Junyang Village Quarantine Center for 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
These passengers must pay for the special plane by themselves, each passenger costs approximately HK $ 6,000.
On April 25, a Hong Kong government spokesman said the Immigration Department received help from some stranded Hong Kong residents in India and Pakistan, contacted the consulates of the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Hong Kong. , and contacted several airlines to discuss the arrangements. Hong Kong residents can return to Hong Kong. As of April 24, the Hong Kong Immigration Department has successfully contacted some 3,200 and 2,000 Hong Kong residents stranded in India and Pakistan, respectively. The government said it will help affected Hong Kong people return to Hong Kong in batches depending on the situation.
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YAO YUAN
Many stores in Pakistan have closed
According to the Hong Kong Government News Network, the successful arrangement of the special plane depends on the full support of the Special Office of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan. Yao Yuan said that after seeing this news, he felt “very helpless and cold.” “On the one hand, I fully supported the evacuation of the Chinese abroad with the charter flights of the Hong Kong people, and on the other hand, they kicked me like a ball.”
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said in early April that after the global epidemic accelerated in March, China had arranged 9 charter flights to receive 1,457 Chinese citizens, including foreign students, from Iran and Italy.
China and Pakistan have always had friendly relations, China considers Pakistan as “a good neighbor, a good friend, a good partner and a good brother”.
(At the request of the interviewees, Yao Yuan and Li Ming had an alias)
