Twelve Hong Kong youths involved in last year’s campaign against sending China to China were intercepted by China’s Guangdong Provincial Coast Guard in late August on suspicion of being on a speedboat on their way to Taiwan, and were detained in Shenzhen’s Yantian Detention Center.
According to a new poll, 60 percent of respondents support the Hong Kong government’s request to the Guangdong provincial government to expedite the transfer of the 12 detained Hong Kong people. Democratic Party legislator James Tu, who assisted the families of the detainees, said the poll results reflect Hong Kong people’s misgivings about the system in mainland China, and criticized the Hong Kong government for not taking the initiative to request the transfer of the 12 detainees.
Twelve Hong Kong youths, including “Hong Kong Story” member Lee Yu-heun, who was accused by Hong Kong police of violating Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law, were arrested by China’s Guangdong Provincial Coast Guard in southeastern Hong Kong waters on August 23.
The families were later notified by the Hong Kong Police Force and Chinese authorities that the 12 Hong Kong residents were being detained at Shenzhen Yantian Detention Center until Friday (September 18), which marks the 27th day of their detention.
The families of the 12 Hong Kong detainees made four demands
The 12 Hong Kong people have been detained for nearly a month and have been denied any contact with the outside world, and the Chinese lawyers appointed by their families have not been able to meet with them.
The families of the 12 Hong Kong people met with the media on Saturday (September 13), complaining about the lack of news about their loved ones and the uncertainty of their fate. They made four demands, including the rejection of “government-appointed lawyers” and urged the Chinese authorities to immediately allow the lawyers appointed by the families to meet with the detainees; demanded that the Chinese authorities provide proper medicine to the detainees in need; demanded that the Chinese authorities allow the detainees to call their families; and demanded that the Hong Kong government ensure that the rights of the Hong Kong people are protected and immediately take the 12 Hong Kong people from mainland China back to Hong Kong.
Poll: 60% support Hong Kong government’s request to transfer 12 Hong Kong people.
The Hong Kong Institute of Public Opinion (HKIP) held a press conference on Friday to announce the results of an online questionnaire survey conducted between September 14 and 17, in which a total of 12,696 Hong Kong citizens aged 12 or above responded.
Among the 11,002 self-proclaimed “pro-democracy” supporters who responded to the questionnaire, 91% supported the Hong Kong government’s request to the Guangdong government to hand over the 12 detained Hong Kong people without delay, while only 5% opposed it. Among the 1,059 self-declared “non-democratic” supporters, 30% supported handing over the 12 Hong Kong people as soon as possible, while 57% opposed it.
The 12 Hong Kong people should be repatriated as soon as possible.
Democratic Party legislator James Tu, who assisted the families of the detained Hong Kong people, said at a press conference that the poll results show that Hong Kong people attach great importance to their identity, and the Chinese authorities claimed that the 12 Hong Kong people had committed the “crime of crossing the border”, which is debatable whether it is a serious crime and should be repatriated as soon as possible.
The Chinese authorities claimed that the 12 Hong Kong people committed the crime of “sneaking across the border” and whether it is a serious crime is debatable and should be repatriated as soon as possible. The people of Hong Kong think that he might have left Hong Kong and wanted to go to Taiwan, or whatever, that is, he was not even hiding, so what is a serious crime? They should be repatriated back (to Hong Kong).”
Hong Kongers generally have misgivings about the Chinese system
Mr. James also said that during the polling period, after the families of the 12 detained Hong Kong people met with reporters, they reflected that the attorneys appointed by them had encountered a lot of difficulties and were unable to meet with their clients, and he believed that the poll results also reflected that Hong Kong people in general still have doubts about the system of mainland China, and tend to believe that the 12 people will be treated more reasonably when they undergo judicial proceedings in Hong Kong.
Mr. Tu said: “My interpretation is that Hong Kong people feel that no matter how you (China) mainland claims to have made progress for many years, but Hong Kong people still feel that (China) mainland system is some doubts, some problems, some reservations, even because you see these days, that is (polls) statistics those days, has always been embedded in the people of Hong Kong, those families invited those people, those families, those families, those families, those families. (China) mainland lawyers, they encounter a lot of difficulties, that is, this is according to the (Chinese) mainland law are not able to represent the rights of those arrested, and can not see, and no news, and can not such as a phone call and can not.
Questioning the Hong Kong government’s practice of not treating everyone equally
James Tu questioned the Hong Kong government’s treatment of the 12 detained Hong Kong residents and their families, which is not the same as in previous cases. For example, Huang Tai Yang, the former spokesman of the local Democratic Front, who was wanted in connection with the 2016 Mongkok riots, failed to appear in court hearings and later appeared in Germany last year and confirmed that he had been granted asylum in Germany.
Democratic Party lawmaker James Tu, who is assisting the families of the 12 detained Hong Kong residents, said the poll results reflect Hong Kong people’s misgivings about the system in mainland China, and criticized the Hong Kong government for not taking the initiative to request the transfer of the 12 detainees (VOA/Tony Tong)
Democratic Party legislator James Tu, who assisted the families of the 12 detained Hong Kong people, said the poll results reflect Hong Kong people’s misgivings about the system in China, and criticized the Hong Kong government for not taking the initiative to request the transfer of the 12 Hong Kong people.
Recently, five Hong Kong people suspected of smuggling into Taiwan were intercepted by the Taiwan authorities, and the Hong Kong government immediately asked the Taiwan authorities to hand them over, he added. He was concerned that the Hong Kong government did not dare to ask the Guangdong government to hand over the 12 Hong Kong people because they had recently been classified as “separatists” by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and were suspected of violating national security laws. Mr. Tu also said that the majority of public opinion in Hong Kong is in favor of handing over the 12 people, probably because of the fear that they will be detained and tried in mainland China.
The last reason I certainly believe why the public would be so overwhelmingly against the idea, the last reason is of course fear, why doesn’t the SAR government seek their return? If you think that those who have violated the National Security Law, that is, if the SAR government does not seek their return, what do you want to do? This is outrageous, because even if you go back a million steps, Hong Kong already has a national security law, and only one is the crime of suing the national security law, the others are not, how can you say without reason that 12 (people) in the (Chinese) mainland saw, caught, so that ‘incidentally’ in the (Chinese) mainland trial of Hong Kong things, this I believe why the public is so lopsided, is to see! End of these: the attitude of the SAR government, analysis, those things after hearing, especially we have a lot of different people on both sides, i.e., support him or her back or not, i.e., the pro-establishment people are a lot of debate.”
Hong Kong Immigration Department helps families with referral letters
In response to a question from the Voice of America, Mr. Tu said that four to five Chinese attorneys have been denied meetings with their clients, and that the latest situation may be that a Chinese attorney went to the detention center on Friday morning and asked for a meeting with his client.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department promised to help the family refer the letter to the Guangdong government after the family held a press conference, Mr. Tu said.
In order to ensure that the mainland knows what you (the family) think, the Immigration Department said that you (the family) can give the letters to the Immigration Department, and then the Immigration Department will use its ‘letter head’, which is the liaison between the government and the government, to forward the letters to the mainland to the family. I think we should have a few letters that have been transferred, but because there are family members who have not yet (lawyers) notarized the letter, those, for example, have any lawyers, or what is written in the letter, some do it faster, there are a few letters, not all are done.”
Lee’s family calls for international attention
Hong Kong police arrested on August 10 on suspicion of violating Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law, “Hong Kong Story” member Lee Yu-heun, known as Andy, has been following his Facebook page “Andy is Missing”, published a statement in English from his family on Thursday evening (September 17).
The statement said that Lee was a believer in freedom, justice, democracy and human rights, and that he did his best to fight for democracy for the people of Hong Kong, but he was accused of violating the Hong Kong National Security Law and is now detained by Chinese authorities.
He urged the Chinese authorities to protect Lee’s human rights during his detention.
The reporter asked how the support of Hong Kong people and the attention of the international community affected the detention of the 12 Hong Kong people.
He said: “So I hope the most important thing for the SAR government is to listen to the voices of the people of Hong Kong, especially the voices of the 12 parents, who know very well that it has been a week since I wrote the letter, and I told the Security Bureau that it would be best to meet with the families so that you can hear their voices directly. I will not eat you, (Secretary for Security) Lee Ka-chiu I will not eat you, I am surprised that a week he did not (reply), this is rare.”
Wong Wai-kwok says non-establishment supporters tear
Current affairs commentator Wong Wai-kwok said, this survey is the latest round of the Hong Kong Institute of Public Opinion’s “We, the people of Hong Kong” survey, he said each survey is on different current affairs and issues of concern to the Hong Kong people, and every time the non-democratic camp supporters are nearly 30% are against the Hong Kong government’s position, including the results of this survey, he believes that is a reflection of the non-democratic camp since the anti-send campaign began in June last year, the tearing apart of the camp.
Huang Weiguo said: “If you look at the polling data, there are 30% of some non-democratic supporters, he actually went against the government, would it represent a tear in the non-democratic supporters’ group, in fact, there is a tear in the situation? But at the same time, they are also very dissatisfied with the current SAR regime led by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and all its policies, whether it’s about the economy, whether it’s about how to restore the confidence of the people of Hong Kong, I think it may be asking too much when it comes to restoring confidence.”
Lam Cheng says the case of the 12 is under Chinese jurisdiction.
The United States is deeply concerned about the 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists detained in China’s Guangdong province who have been denied access to lawyers and about the failure of local Chinese authorities to provide information about their situation or the charges against them, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement last Friday (Sept. 12).
Pompeo questioned Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s commitment to protecting the rights of citizens and called on authorities to ensure due process.
Asked about the situation of the 12 detained Hong Kong residents, she responded that the essence of the incident was that the 12 Hong Kong residents had illegally entered mainland China and were detained there, and that she thought it was “clearly within the jurisdiction of the (Chinese) mainland judicial district” and therefore very appropriate for mainland China to handle the situation.
Mrs. Lam also said that all 12 had absconded from Hong Kong while awaiting trial, and that she believed the reason for their departure was to avoid legal responsibility. She also said that some people, both local and foreign, have tried to divert attention by describing the 12 as “democrats being repressed, intentionally or unintentionally, as if they were all involved in the National Security Law,” but that only one of them is suspected of violating the Hong Kong National Security Law.
The 12 detained Hong Kong residents were sent postcards to the Yantian Detention Center in the hope that they would receive blessings from Hong Kong people before the Mid-Autumn Festival on October 1. They quoted Wang Quanzhang, a human rights lawyer, a victim of the 709 arrests and a victim of China’s political black jails, as saying, “Keeping public opinion focused will only do good and no harm to the detainees.”
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