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HONG KONG: Relatives of a dozen Hong Kong residents who have been detained in mainland China for more than three and a half months made a request on Saturday (December 12) to be informed about the timing of the trials and whether they can attend. .
The request underscored the stark contrast between the relatively open legal system in Hong Kong and that on the mainland, where little information is often released until a trial is over.
“I miss my son very much,” said the mother of Wong Wai-yin, one of the detainees, breathlessly. “I really want to visit him. I haven’t seen my son in a long time, it’s almost four months. Please tell me (about the trial). I’m a normal mother.”
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All 12 were arrested at sea in August while apparently trying to flee to Taiwan after a strict national security law went into effect in Hong Kong earlier this year.
They were collected after entering continental waters to cross the maritime border without permission. At least some participated in anti-government protests in 2019 and were facing charges in Hong Kong.
Relatives of a dozen Hong Kong nationals who have been detained in mainland China, wearing caps or hoods, attend a press conference in Hong Kong on Saturday, December 12, 2020 (Photo: AP / Kin Cheung).
Although Hong Kong is part of China, travelers still have to go through immigration when going to and from the mainland.
Two are detained on suspicion of organizing an illegal border crossing. The group has been locked up in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city that borders Hong Kong.
Family members covered their faces with masks and some wore sunglasses, caps or hoods to hide their identities while speaking at a press conference. They did not give their names.
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Owen Chow, an activist who has been helping families, said they wanted to know if the trials would be open to the public and if family members would be able to attend.
He and some family members questioned the authenticity of the letters that some of the family members had received, allegedly from their detained relatives, saying that they were being held in a good environment and not abused.
“All I can do is feel dissatisfied and get angry,” said a relative of Tang Kai-yin, another detainee. “I do not know what else to do.”
