More than 100 immigration and police officers raided the homes of abode seekers for the first time yesterday, breaking down the doors of one flat, in a dramatic escalation of the deportation action against the claimants.
In addition to the six claimants arrested yesterday, the father of one was also detained for allegedly aiding and abetting his 20-year-old son to overstay - the first parent arrested for such an offence during the right-of-abode saga.
A total of 114 immigration and police officers mounted the joint operation at 7am, raiding 16 homes. More than 10 officers had to break open three doors to gain entry to one of the claimants' homes in Tsz Wan Shan, while the remaining five claimants surrendered voluntarily.
Assistant principal immigration officer Chan Leung-yuk said: 'Throughout the operation, we did not receive any resistance. We gained entry into the premises successfully without any violence whatsoever.'
Mr Chan said the six claimants - three men and three women aged 20 to 42 - were among the 480 abode seekers who had failed to report to the authorities after their written approval allowing them to stay in Hong Kong temporarily had expired.
He said the claimants had been given sufficient time to return voluntarily to the mainland since the Court of Final Appeal handed down a key ruling on January 10 in which most of the 5,114 appellants were ruled to have no residency rights.