People born in Kinmen currently residing in China to take trip home

A group of people born in Kinmen (金門出生) who have been "stranded" in China's Fujian Province (福建省) since 1949 will make a direct voyage to their homeland in late July for a four-day heritage-seeking visit, county government sources said yesterday.

This will be the third time that PRC residents have made a direct trip to Kinmen since Taiwan's government opened its two frontline island groups of Kinmen and Matsu for direct trade, mail and shipping links with Fujian's Xiamen (廈門) and Mawei (馬尾) port cities, commonly known as the "small three links"(小三通), early this year.

The Kinmen County Government said it has completed preparations for receiving the visitors, most of who are in their late 60s or 70s.

In addition to Kinmen-born people, the 114-member group will include local-level Chinese officials in charge of Taiwan affairs.

Among the Chinese officials will be Ong Jinzhu, deputy director of the Xiamen City Government's Taiwan Affairs Office.

The group is scheduled to arrive in Kinmen July 31 via a ferry boat and will return to Xiamen Aug. 3 via the Kinmen County Government-run passenger ship Taiwu.

Many Kinmen residents have made direct voyages to Xiamen since the opening of the direct "small three links."

But until now only two PRC groups had sailed directly from Xiamen to Kinmen due mainly to Beijing's reluctance to support the Taiwan-initiated measure.

China now still refuses to approve regular direct Kinmen-Xiamen shipping services. It has instead approved such applications on a case-by-case basis.

The island is only 10km from Xiamen harbor in China, while it is 277km from Taiwan.