Military weapons used in Chinese shooting

TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA
Staff Writer | Friday July 31, 2009 00:00

The spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Gaborone, Zhou Zhigang told Mmegi that he has been informed by investigators that the guns were of the types issued by the security forces.  'The police told us this. The weapons are of a higher grade. One bullet penetrated the glass, through the chest and another penetrated the victim after piercing the car window,' Zhou said. He was commenting on the death of 31-year-old Lianghui, a Tutume-based businessman, who was robbed of cash and valuables before being shot dead over the weekend while driving through Serule. He was married with two children.

Zhou said that after the shooting, the embassy worked with the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the case. He said embassy staff met with top officers in the police service. 'The police indicated that they will investigate the matter, and we have also been in constant contact with our colleagues in the ministry who are also assisting us,' Zhou explained. He said the embassy has been advising Chinese citizens in the country on how to handle valuables and how to ensure their security.

'We also hope that the police and other security institutions can continue to work in improving the security situation in the country,' he said. He added that the recent shooting will not have any negative impact on the image of the country among Chinese citizens.

'Our citizens understand that this, although very tragic incident, is only a once-off and so they should not panic. We cannot go out and say 'this is how Botswana is like', because this country is generally very peaceful and safe,' he stressed. Both Serule Police Station police chief, Samuel Thobogang and Botswana Police spokesperson Dipheko Motube could not discuss the matter because they were out of the office.