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HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Hong Kong police said on Saturday (October 10) that they had arrested nine people suspected of helping 12 Hong Kong activists who fled the city in August bound for Taiwan, only to be intercepted. by Chinese authorities and held on the mainland.
The dozen, charged with crimes related to anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year, are being held in the southern city of Shenzhen after authorities intercepted their ship and accused them of illegally crossing the border.
Superintendent Ho Chun-tung of the police triad and organized crime department said they had arrested four men and five women, suspected of organizing the transportation of the 12 fugitives.
He did not rule out the possibility of more arrests.
Police also seized HK $ 500,000 (S $ 87,500) in cash, computers, mobile phones and documents related to the purchase of a boat, Ho said.
The case of the detainees has made international headlines and human rights groups have expressed concern. The families say the detainees have been denied access to independent lawyers.
Hong Kong authorities have said the 12 will be represented by mainland Chinese lawyers chosen by the detainees from a list provided by the Chinese authorities, and that they have offered “necessary and feasible” assistance to the families and will continue to do so.
People began fleeing to Taiwan from the first months of the Hong Kong protests last year, mainly legally by air, but sometimes by fishing boats, activists in Taipei who helped Hong Kong citizens to obtain visas.
This has created a dilemma for Taiwan, which has promised assistance to the Hong Kong people but is wary of antagonizing China.
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