Hong Kong protests: Carrie Lam says calling 12 detained in Shenzhen ‘democracy activists’ a bid to distract from wanted status

‘Essence of the matter’ is that local police are seeking members of the group for alleged crimes tied to anti-government protests, city leader says at press briefing

Lam also says Hong Kong consistent in handling of cases despite open calls for return of five would-be asylum seekers detained by Taiwan last month

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Calling 12 detained Hongkongers ‘democracy activists’ is an attempt to distract from their wanted status, Carrie Lam said on Tuesday. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 1:43pm, 15 Sep 2020Updated: 11:39pm, 15 Sep 2020

Hong Kong’s leader insisted on Tuesday that mainland Chinese authorities had the jurisdictional right to detain 12 young fugitives from the city caught at sea while reportedly fleeing to Taiwan, saying those who depicted them as oppressed democracy activists were trying to distract from their status as wanted individuals.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said her government was providing assistance to the 12, who were sought by local police over crimes connected to the city’s anti-government protests, as a lawyer representing one of them questioned the jurisdiction of neighbouring Shenzhen’s public security agency in handling the cases.

Lu Siwei, who said transferring the group back to Hong Kong would be “an act of wisdom”, is one of the very few mainland lawyers to have not dropped his client despite pressure from local authorities.

At least five family-appointed lawyers had withdrawn their cases as of Tuesday, and none of the involved legal representatives had been able to reach their clients, according to a source on the mainland with direct knowledge of the matter.

The dozen, aged 16 to 33, have been held at a detention centre in neighbouring Shenzhen’s Yantian district since August 23, when the Chinese coastguard arrested the group – allegedly attempting to flee to Taiwan via speedboat to seek political asylum – on suspicion of crossing the border illegally.