Kin Of Detainees Send A Message – Through Mooncakes

Relatives of the 12 Hongkongers detained in Shenzhen for allegedly entering mainland waters illegally have held a demonstration outside the liaison office and left boxes of mooncakes in a symbolic protest to highlight their lack of access to their loved ones.

The families marched from Western Police Station to the liaison office, holding up signs saying "Return our sons and daughters" and "Refuse government-appointed lawyers".

Speaking outside the liaison office, the wife of Wong Wai-yin, one of the 12 detainees, says they don't even know if their relatives are alive or dead.

Nevertheless, like the other relatives, she had taken mooncakes to the liaison office in the hope that they could be delivered to the detainees.

"This festival should be about family gatherings, the young and the old eating mooncakes together, watching some TV. But this year we don't have that chance," she said.

"Because my husband is now detained in Yantian, Shenzhen. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. There’s just no news. We appointed a lawyer for him, but that was rejected. I feel very helpless. I can't put it into words.

The mother of another detainee Li Tsz-yin said: "I want to tell the Hong Kong government, please don’t tell me there is nothing you can do. How can you be our government if you can't do anything?"

"I want to tell all Hong Kongers that mid-autumn festival will not be a happy one for us."

No one from the liaison office accepted the mooncakes, so the families left them on the water barricades erected around the building in Western.

The protesters were accompanied by lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick and activist Owen Chow.

Chow said the families have heard nothing about how their loved ones are faring in detention, more than five weeks after they were captured at sea by the Guangdong coastguard as they reportedly tried to flee to Taiwan.

He said the SAR government has failed to provide the families with any meaningful assistance, despite repeated requests for help and they want a meeting with Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and Security Secretary John Lee.