Three new cases emerge today of Hong Kong residents being detained on the mainland without the relevant authorities in the SAR being informed. Last Sunday we highlighted a further five cases of people being held without notification taking place.
It is unfortunate that the arrangement hammered out between SAR government officials and authorities on the mainland over 18 months of negotiations is not seen to be working more smoothly. But while these instances are unfortunate, they should not be allowed to overshadow either the willingness of the mainland to enter into such an agreement, or the fact that, although detainees have undoubtedly slipped through the notification net, the vast majority of Hong Kong citizens arrested on the mainland are brought to the attention of the authorities here.
From the beginning of the year, 68 cases of detention have so far been notified.
The arrangement is still in its infancy and its effectiveness will, ultimately, be determined by the willingness of both sides to demand that it is adhered to. For their part, the mainland authorities have sent out word to the provinces that notification must take place.
And while gaps in the system between the mainland's Ministry of State Security and the SAR Security Bureau undoubtedly exist, it is not in anyone's interest that arrests should be kept secret. Firstly, news of almost all arrests will emerge eventually anyway; and, secondly, the mainland's attempts to regularise and modernise its justice system are not aided by such a lack of transparency.
Local National People's Congress delegate Allen Lee Peng-fei does not believe the SAR Government is doing enough to protect the rights of Hong Kong people. He makes reference to several cases he is aware of in which the Government has not been told of detentions on the mainland.