Detained Chinese human rights lawyer 'unaware' of her son's escape bid, claims state media
Global Times confirms son of detained lawyeris back in Inner Mongolia after being captured in Myanmar, denies he is under house arrest
The son of a detained human rights lawyer was smuggled out of the mainland against the will of his parents in an attempt to get him to the United States, according to a state-run tabloid newspaper report.
The also dismissed reports that 16-year-old Bao Zhuoxuan had since been placed under house arrest in Inner Mongolia after being captured in Myanmar.
Bao is the son of human rights lawyer Wang Yu, who was detained in July in a crackdown against civil rights activists.
READ MORE: The Chinese rights lawyer denied right to see his lawyer
The boy was caught in Myanmar while trying to escape to the United States, the Associated Press reported earlier this week, citing a San Francisco-based family friend Liang Bo.
The Associated Press claimed Bao was now under 24-hour police surveillance at his grandparents' house in Inner Mongolia and was not allowed any contact with the outside world.
The yesterday confirmed that Bao had been taken back to Inner Mongolia from Myanmar after crossing the border illegally.
His mother was quoted in the article as telling police she was not aware of the smuggling plan and that she was against it. "I will draw a clear line between myself and the people who plotted this. I can settle my own business," she was quoted as saying.
Bao flew to Kunming in Yunnan province on October 1 and crossed the border into Myanmar with two other people, the said.
The trio were later caught by local police, who handed them over to the Chinese authorities. The report said Bao was not under house arrest, but had returned to a normal life and was continuing his studies.
San Francisco-based activist Zhou Fengsuo, who was waiting for Bao in Thailand to help with his asylum application to the US, cast doubt on the state-run media report. "We shouldn't forget that Wang is not free at the moment and she hasn't been allowed to see her lawyers after her arrest," Zhou told the .
I will draw a clear line between myself and the people who plotted this
"I think the best choice would be to give him [Bao] his passport and let him make his own choice," Zhou said.
He added that Bao had repeatedly said he wanted to study in the US. Zhou's concerns were echoed by Li Yuhan, Wang Yu's attorney, who has made repeated attempts to visit his client over the past two months, but with no success.
"I don't believe the report. Wang Yu has been completely cut off from the outside world," Li said. Tianjin police have said they were handling Wang's case, but have refused to reveal her whereabouts or allow lawyers to see her, Li said.
Bao and his father were detained by police at Beijing's international airport in July on their way to Australia where the boy was to attend high school.
Bao was later released, but his passport was revoked.
