Jailed for months without trial, then given 48 hours to leave Hong Kong: 6 foreign nationals told 'get out' after drug charges dropped
Group denied visa extensions after being acquitted of drug trafficking charges
Six foreign nationals cleared of drug trafficking after months behind bars maintaining their innocence have been ordered to leave the city today or face legal action.
A 48-hour ultimatum was issued on Monday after an application to extend their visas was rejected by officials from the Immigration Department.
High Court judge Mr Justice Kevin Zervos ended months of incarceration for the group - who are all elderly or middle-aged - on Friday after the Department of Justice withdrew the charges against them due to a lack of evidence.
READ MORE: Duped 'drug mules' freed in Hong Kong after being detained for attempting to smuggle crystal meth to Australia and New Zealand
Their visas expired while they were behind bars awaiting trial. However, their requests for a short extension were turned down on the grounds that it was not "genuine".
On arrival at Hong Kong International Airport separately between April and November last year, the six - who did not know each other at the time - were arrested when customs officers found several kilos of crystal methamphetamine hidden in their luggage.
They all maintain they were duped by drug syndicates into carrying gifts or bags out of Hong Kong and that they did not know there were drugs inside the items.
Watch: Alleged drug smugglers cleared of charges in Hong Kong
They were kept behind bars for between 10 and 18 months each as they waited for their trials before last Friday's acquittal.
But around 5pm on Monday, they were dealt another blow by Hong Kong authorities.
"Having taken into consideration the information made available and all the circumstances of your case, I am not satisfied that you are seeking to extend your stay in Hong Kong for a genuine visit. Your application is therefore refused," the letter from the Immigration Department read.
They were all informed that they must leave Hong Kong by today, at the latest.
READ MORE: Acquittals in Hong Kong drug mule case put spotlight on international cooperation
For Dutchman Hendrikus Teutscher, it was a slap in the face. "I was very upset ... This decision by the Immigration Department is another type of injustice," Teustcher, 75, said yesterday, referring to the personal and physical hardships that each had already endured behind bars.
"The letter was not so friendly. I just wanted one more day to arrange my flight but now everything is in a hurry," he said last night, as he rushed to book a flight home.
Brendan Toner, 62, from Northern Ireland, described the letter as an "eviction notice".
"We are not the sinners, we're the sinned against," he said, describing the decision as dampening the joy of Friday's decision to free them.
A spokesman for the department refused to say if a person's arrest and subsequent acquittal would mean they would be kicked out of Hong Kong as soon as possible.
The fine for breaching visa conditions is a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and two years in jail.
