Taiwan sends 21 back to mainland China, including self-proclaimed activist who swam across strait

Name: Ten Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea jailed for up to three years on Chinese mainland
Uploaded: 2022-01-06T10:56:25.000Z
Duration: 2 min 55 s
Description: Ten Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea jailed for up to three years on Chinese mainland

Hu Haibo told Taiwan officials he faced persecution from mainland authorities but was sent back on Thursday after being convicted of illegal entry

Zhou Xian arrived on the island on a rubber dinghy in May and was among a group returned on Wednesday

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Hu Haibo in a picture from his Facebook page. Hu was among a group of mainland Chinese citizens sent back from Taiwan on Thursday, a government source said. Photo: Facebook

Lawrence Chung

Published: 6:56pm, 6 Jan 2022Updated: 7:11pm, 6 Jan 2022

Taiwan has sent a self-proclaimed activist back to mainland China after convicting him of illegal entry to the island.

The man, identified as Hu Haibo, 39, claimed he faced persecution from mainland authorities for joining anti-government protests in Hong Kong. He was among a group of mainland Chinese citizens sent back on Thursday, a government source said.

In total, 21 mainland Chinese citizens – 18 men and three women – were being sent back in four groups, according to the island’s immigration agency.

The agency sent one group back on Wednesday, an immigration agency official confirmed and others would follow in the next two weeks, but declined to give details.

According to the government source, Zhou Xian, 33, was among the first group returned to the mainland on Wednesday.

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Ten Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea jailed for up to three years on Chinese mainland

Zhou’s entered the island illegally in May after using a rubber dinghy to make an 11-hour crossing of the Taiwan Strait without being detected by the island’s coastguard. Setting off from the city of Shishi, in Fujian province on the mainland coast, Zhou landed near Taichung harbour. He said he needed help and was taken to police for questioning.