Nine Arrested By Police For Assisting Offenders

The police said they had arrested nine people on Saturday morning, on suspicion of assisting 12 Hongkongers now being detained in Shenzhen after being arrested by the mainland coastguard.

The 12 were intercepted by the coastguard on August 23, after they took a speedboat and allegedly tried to flee to Taiwan. They are accused of crossing the border illegally.

Senior superintendent Ho Chun-tung from the force's organised crime and triad bureau, said they believed the nine people arrested on Saturday, four men and five women aged between 27 and 72, are friends of the 12.

The League of Social Democrats has confirmed that one of those arrested is Christina Tang, a former assistant of ex-lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung.

"They were arrested for assisting offenders," Superintendent Ho said. "That means they might have done something to prevent prosecution of these people, or to prevent them from being arrested by the police."

Ho said they are believed to have been involved in funding the operation, providing a boat, and providing transportation and accommodation.

The force also seized HK$500,000 in cash, computers and mobile phones, as well as receipts believed to be related to the operation.

They are also looking into whether these nine people had helped others to flee the city, and are not ruling out more arrests.

The police however refused to comment on reports in some media that local authorities were aware that the 12 Hongkongers detained in Shenzhen were attempting to leave the city.

Activist Joshua Wong and former lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick say they have evidence that the Government Flying Service sent a fixed-wing aircraft to track the group on the day of their arrest, and do not believe comments from local authorities that they had no hand in the arrests.

"I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on some reports by some media," Ho said.

"I'd like to stress that the 12 people being arrested within the mainland, they were suspected to have contravened the laws within the mainland, and the arrest operation within the mainland has nothing to do with the Hong Kong police."

Meanwhile, family members of the 12 detainees say they're worried that their loved ones had been tortured.

In a statement released by the "Save 12 Hong Kong Youths" concern group on Saturday afternoon, they say they suspect the arrests could have been the result of "secret interrogation" by Shenzhen authorities.

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