Yang Kuang still missing; fury crosses political divide
Hong Kong delegates in Beijing and even city's Immigration Department voice fear for activist
A Hong Kong activist who disappeared after trying to visit the wife of jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo in Beijing was still missing last night, a day after he was beaten and taken away in a police car.
The disappearance of Diaoyu Islands activist Yang Kuang, coupled with assaults on two Hong Kong journalists outside Liu Xia's home on Friday, have sparked outrage across the city's political divide and among Hong Kong delegates gathered in Beijing for the annual sessions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and National People's Congress.
Tam Yiu-chung, a CPPCC delegate, said: "The government bureaus in Beijing should be more transparent and should explain what is happening."
As pan-democratic groups demanded Beijing authorities investigate, a spokesman for Hong Kong's Immigration Department said it had not received any calls for help. He said the department was "highly concerned" and would liaise with the government's office in Beijing.
Yang was last seen on Friday night, hours after he tried to visit Liu Xia, who is under extralegal house arrest. Her husband was jailed for 11 years in December 2009 for subversion.
In a video clip on YouTube, a man who resembles Yang is seen being attacked by a dozen men at about 10pm before being taken away in a police car.
Earlier, as Yang tried to see Liu, several unidentified men pushed him before turning to hit TVB cameraman Tam Wing-man and Now TV cameraman Wong Kim-fai, who were filming him.