BEIJING: The 12 Hong Kong people arrested at sea by mainland authorities last month were separatists, a spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry said on Sunday (Sep 13), in response to her US counterparts characterisation of the arrest as a deterioration of human rights.
The comment came a day after relatives of the detainees held a news conference in Hong Kong demanding the urgent return of the 12 who were intercepted by the Guangdong coast guard on Aug 23 on a boat bound for Taiwan.
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Donning masks and hats to shield their identities, they made their first public appeal for help and information on their relatives plight, pleading for them to be allowed to consult lawyers appointed by their families and not the Chinese government and to be allowed to call relatives in Hong Kong.
READ: Families of captured Hong Kong activists demand their return from Chinese detention
READ: Hong Kong residents arrested at sea 'will have to be dealt with' by mainland China: Carrie Lam
US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted on Saturday that their arrest was “another example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong”, and called on mainland authorities to “ensure due process”.
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The arrests came about two months after the mainland government imposed a security law on the special administrative region following months of demonstrations.
Chinas Hua Chunying responded in another tweet.
“Seriously?! Fact check: The 12 people were arrested for illegally crossing the border in waters. They are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate #HongKong from China,” she wrote.
The Shenzhen city police, in its first notice since the arrest, on Sunday said the 12 Hong Kong citizens were under criminal detention on suspicion of illegally crossing the border. The investigation is ongoing, it said.
“Police will protect the legitimate rights and interests of criminal suspects in accordance with law,” the police said.
The relatives on Saturday said they had been given no information on the allegations, and that assistance from the Hong Kong governmentRead More – Source
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