Eight Hong Kongers who were part of a group of democracy activists who failed to flee the territory by speedboat last year were yesterday handed back to authorities after serving jail sentences in Shenzhen, China.
Dubbed by supporters as “The Hong Kong 12,” the group was picked up by Chinese coast guard in August last year as they tried to make a break for Taiwan.
Those on board were being prosecuted for actions linked to 2019’s huge and often violent democracy protests.
Photo: AP
The charges they faced ranged from rioting and attempted arson to possession of offensive weapons and making explosives.
The group disappeared into the mainland’s opaque judicial system after their capture and were eventually convicted behind closed doors for crossing China’s border illegally.
Eight of them were yesterday handed over to Hong Kong police.
“They have been deported in batches on the day in accordance with the law,” police in Yantian, the mainland district where the group were jailed, said in a statement.
Hong Kong police confirmed their return in a separate statement.
Images published by local media showed some of those being returned had black hoods placed over their heads as they were marched by officers into a Hong Kong police station close to the border with the mainland.
Among those returned into Hong Kong custody was Andy Li (李宇軒). Before he fled, he was arrested under a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong last year.
More than 100 people have been arrested under the law which carries up to life in prison.
Another of the returned fugitives is a dual national with Hong Kong and Portuguese citizenship.
Two teens in the group — a 16 and a 17-year-old — were returned to Hong Kong in December.
The two remaining members of the group were given longer sentences for organizing an illegal border crossing and remain in prison on the mainland.
They all now face a restart to their prosecutions in Hong Kong and are likely to remain detained.
REVENGE: Trump said he had the support of the Syrian government for the strikes, which took place in response to an Islamic State attack on US soldiers last week The US launched large-scale airstrikes on more than 70 targets across Syria, the Pentagon said on Friday, fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s vow to strike back after the killing of two US soldiers. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on social media. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.” The US Central Command said that fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery targeted ISIS infrastructure and weapon sites. “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned
Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured when a high-speed passenger train collided with a herd crossing the tracks in India’s northeastern state of Assam early yesterday, local authorities said. The train driver spotted the herd of about 100 elephants and used the emergency brakes, but the train still hit some of the animals, Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told reporters. Five train coaches and the engine derailed following the impact, but there were no human casualties, Sharma said. Veterinarians carried out autopsies on the dead elephants, which were to be buried later in the day. The accident site
‘POLITICAL LOYALTY’: The move breaks with decades of precedent among US administrations, which have tended to leave career ambassadors in their posts US President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered dozens of US ambassadors to step down, people familiar with the matter said, a precedent-breaking recall that would leave embassies abroad without US Senate-confirmed leadership. The envoys, career diplomats who were almost all named to their jobs under former US president Joe Biden, were told over the phone in the past few days they needed to depart in the next few weeks, the people said. They would not be fired, but finding new roles would be a challenge given that many are far along in their careers and opportunities for senior diplomats can
RUSHED: The US pushed for the October deal to be ready for a ceremony with Trump, but sometimes it takes time to create an agreement that can hold, a Thai official said Defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia are to meet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of resuming a ceasefire between the two countries, Thailand’s top diplomat said yesterday, as border fighting entered a third week. A ceasefire agreement in October was rushed to ensure it could be witnessed by US President Donald Trump and lacked sufficient details to ensure the deal to end the armed conflict would hold, Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow said after an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The two countries agreed to hold talks using their General Border Committee, an established bilateral mechanism, with Thailand
RSS