China jails ten HK ‘escapees’

A CHINESE court yesterday sentenced ten pro-democracy activists who sought to flee Hong Kong by speedboat to between seven months and three years in prison.

The Yantian District Court in the southern city of Shenzhen gave the harshest sentence to one of the two accused organisers of the ill-fated August 23 attempt to reach self-ruled Taiwan.

Relatives said all defendants pleaded guilty, a move apparently aimed at receiving lighter sentences.