Hong Kong leader Lam says locals arrested at seas will be dealt by Mainland China

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on September 8, that her government will provide every possible assistance to the 12 people arrested by mainland China as they were spotted escaping to Taiwan to take political asylum. As per reports, she added that the local residents will “have to be dealt with” by China as the Chinese authorities detained them on the basis of illegal border crossing on a boat off the coast of the southern mainland province of Guangdong.

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The local media reports claim that the people were travelling to Taiwan to apply for political asylum. Lam reportedly said at a press conference that if the residents of Hong Kong were arrested for violating mainland regulations then they would have to go through mainland laws and in accordance to the jurisdiction before any other things could happen. Lam assured that her government will provide every possible assistance to Hong Kong residents “caught in all sorts of situations”. She further added that the government's representative office in Guangzhou will find out every possible way to help the residents and liaise with mainland authorities. 

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Lawyers denied access

As per international media reports, the lawyers representing the detainees captured by China are not granted access to their clients and when asked Lam did not comment anything on the particular matter. Neither China nor the semi-autonomous Chinese territory has reportedly confirmed who all have been arrested but some local media has identified some of them as facing prosecution for involvement in pro-democracy protests last year, as per reports. 

As per reports, the Guangdong Coast Guard announced the arrests on its social media platforms providing the surnames of two detainees,  Li and Tang, without giving any additional details. As per reports, it is still not clear what charges they face for illegal crossing of the border. 

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Meanwhile, China has repeatedly laid claims on Taiwan as its own sovereign territory and increased diplomatic pressure, leaving the self-governing island a handful of formal allies, mostly in the Pacific, Central America and the Caribbean. Taiwan's rugged democracy and strong defence has led to the international community recognising the island as a sovereign self-governing territory.

UN special rapporteurs on human rights have warned that China’s national security law for Hong Kong breached international obligations and violated human rights. In an open joint letter UN dispatched to China on September 3, it said that the controversial national security law in Hong Kong posed a serious risk to fundamental rights and clamped the right to freedom of expression in the Special Administrative Region (SAR).

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Image: AP