Detained Chinese human rights lawyer 'unaware' of her son's escape bid, claims state media

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 Global Times 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.

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 Global Times yesterday confirmed that Bao had been taken back to Inner Mongolia from Myanmar after crossing the border illegally.

But it claimed Bao had been smuggled abroad against the will of his parents and his grandmother, who is now caring for him.

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.