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HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong police said Saturday they arrested nine people on suspicion of providing funds and other assistance to a group of 12 who tried to flee the territory by boat in August but were intercepted by Chinese authorities.
A police officer said that all nine, including four men and five women, were believed to be friends of the former group.
They were arrested on the charge of aiding the criminals and are believed to have also organized the boat and provided transportation and accommodation, Ho Chun-tung from the Organized Crime Division told reporters.
“That means they could have done something to avoid the prosecution of these people or to prevent them from being arrested by the police,” Ho said, referring to the 12 arrested in August.
In Saturday morning’s operation, police also seized the equivalent of $ 63,640 in Hong Kong currency, computers, mobile phones and receipts related to the boat trip, Ho said.
They are also investigating whether these nine people had helped others flee the city and are not ruling out further arrests.
The 12 were believed to be headed for autonomous Taiwan following China’s imposition of a comprehensive national security law targeting political views in Hong Kong that diverge from those dictated by Beijing. China has said they are being held in Shenzhen city awaiting trial, but authorities have released few details.
Although Hong Kong is part of China, it has a separate immigration system and there are border controls between the territory and the mainland.
Ho said the 12 detained by mainland Chinese authorities were suspected of violating mainland laws and that their arrests “had nothing to do with the Hong Kong police.”
In July, Taiwan opened an office to help Hong Kong residents who want to emigrate. The island’s autonomous democracy is a popular choice among protesters who have chosen to leave Hong Kong since the new law was passed in June.
