A HONG KONG businessman plans to sue the Hunan authorities for ''illegal detention'' and withholding his passport.
Dr Philip Cheng Hui-ho returned to the territory last night after having been kept in China for seven months in relation to an investment dispute with his Chinese partners.
A Chinese American, Dr Cheng said yesterday he wanted to clear his name with the Hunan court for detaining him for six days under horrid conditions and withholding his passport until last Tuesday.
Dr Cheng, 62, head of the Journalism and Communications Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong before he went into business in 1991, said he would sue the Hunan court for ''illegal detention'' for the sake of improving China's judiciary system.
Dr Cheng said he would seek legal advice in Hong Kong before pursuing the case in China.
''My case is a cumbersome one, but I think a legal issue is at stake. I will pursue it through legal proceedings,'' he said.