Strongly criticising China’s Swine flu tactics as discriminatory, Mexico has chartered a plane to that country for bringing back its 70 citizens who were seized and quarantined. Several countries have taken strong measures against arriving Mexicans or those who have recently visited Mexico. About 70 Mexican travellers were quarantined in Chinese hospitals and those arriving from Mexico were being taken into isolation, Mexico’s ambassador Jorge Guajardo said.

About 350 people were isolated in a hotel in Hong Kong after a Mexican traveller there was suspected to have Swine flu. Strongly protesting against the backlash, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said it was unfair on the part of the countries to take such repressive and discriminatory measures and that they were doing because of ignorance and disinformation. He also alleged that there were people who seized the opportunity to assault Mexicans. Meanwhile China’s Foreign Ministry had denied these allegations.

The Mexican Embassy in Beijing had already sent a circular out to all its citizens that China had imposed “measures of unjustified isolation” in response to swine flu. It also urged trips to be cancelled or postponed. Noting that a nationwide shutdown and an aggressive information campaign had helped curtail the outbreak, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a Television broadcast that the country had succeeded in detaining or slowing down the spread of the virus.

Though Mexican officials have declared that the epidemic was waning, medical experts worldwide have opined that it was too early to make such a call. Most cases of Swine flu are confirmed in North America and Europe, with the total number of affected persons rising to at least 1,033 people.