NAIROBI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan police on Thursday apologized for storming and briefly arresting Chinese journalists at the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Nairobi.
Kenyan police officers on Wednesday raided the CGTN's office in Nairobi and detained several Chinese journalists and staff members of the Chinese-invested organization over allegations that they were working in Kenya illegally.
Charles Owino, Kenya police spokesperson, regretted the incident, saying the incident was based on wrong information on the status of the affected Chinese.
"The raid on the broadcaster was based on false information on their immigration status. We sincerely apologize for the mishap. Those detained were released later," Owino told media in Nairobi.
Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a briefing in the Chinese capital of Beijing that the Kenyan side apologized to China for its improper law enforcement behavior. It promised to strengthen management of its grassroots police officers as well as law enforcement norms and etiquette to avoid a recurrence.
"We have learned that this raid was part of the Kenyan police's operation to crack down on illegal immigrants. It is not targeting or limited to Chinese nationals," she added.
Hua said the Chinese foreign ministry also wants to avail itself of this opportunity to alert Chinese nationals overseas to properly go through legal procedures for their local business and residence in strict accordance with laws and regulations.
