Hong Kong police arrest 11 for ‘aiding escape of activists’

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police have arrested 11 people over suspected crimes related to assisting a group of 12 pro-democracy activists accused of trying to flee the city by boat for Taiwan last year, police and activists said on Thursday.

Those arrested included eight men and three women, aged 18 to 72, a police statement said.

Daniel Wong, a lawyer who tried to help the 12 people detained in mainland China last August, was among those arrested according to a post on his Facebook page, which stated that police arrived at his apartment at 6 a.m. local time.

Police said those arrested were being held for further questioning. Self-ruled Taiwan has become a popular destination for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists since China imposed a national security law in June 2020, a move critics say is aimed at stamping out dissent and curbing freedoms.

Meanwhile, the US envoy to the United Nations held a virtual talk with Taiwan’s president after her visit to the island was scrapped in a diplomatic volte-face during the chaotic last days of the Trump administration. Ambassador Kelly Craft praised Taiwan’s success in fighting the coronavirus while criticising China for blocking the island from global bodies during a video discussion with President Tsai Ing-wen.

“Unfortunately, Taiwan is unable to share those successes in UN venues, including the World Health Assembly, as a result of PRC obstruction,” Craft tweeted, referring to China.

Several Hong Kong activists who protested the controversial security law imposed by Beijing have been granted asylum in Canada, a support group said.