HKG pro democracy legislators released on bail

Hong Kong pro-democracy legislators Ted Hui and Lam Cheuk-ting were released on bail on Thursday afternoon.

Their release comes after Hong Kong police arrested 16 people, including the opposition lawmakers Lam and Hui on Wednesday on charges related to anti-government protests last year.

Posts on Lam's Twitter account said he had been arrested on charges of conspiring with others to damage property and obstructing justice during the same protest on July 6, 2019. The tweets said he was also accused of rioting on July 21, 2019.

That was the day a group of more than 100 men clad in white attacked protesters and passengers with steel rods and rattan canes in a subway station. Lam, who was present, was injured during the attack and hospitalized.

Protesters and many from the opposition camp have accused the police of colluding with the attackers, since they arrived late at the scene and did not make arrests that night.

Lam and Hui's release came after the media reported that Chinese authorities have arrested at least 10 people, including a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, after its coast guard intercepted a speedboat believed to be heading to Taiwan.

The reports, citing unnamed sources, said activist Andy Li was among those detained.

Li had been arrested earlier this month with nine others on charges of collusion with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing and was out on bail.

A social media post by China's coast guard said the arrests were made on Sunday when it intercepted the boat off the coast of the southern province of Guangdong, and that two people surnamed Li and Tang were among those detained.

It was not immediately clear what charges they're facing.

"We are aware of such reports. For the time being, we do not have any information from the mainland relevant authorities," Hong Kong police commissioner Chris Tang told a news conference on Thursday.

Tang said that they were actively seeking information about the incident.

The people on board were believed to be fleeing to Taiwan, and at least one other person had previously been arrested on charges related to last year's anti-government protests, the South China Morning Post reported.

Taiwan in July opened an office to help Hong Kongers seeking to emigrate to the self-ruled island, and received over 1,000 inquiries in its first month alone.