10-Plus Hong Kong Citizens Detained by PRC Coast Guard|中國海警逮涉非法越境10餘人 傳擬往台灣

More and more Hong Kong residents are trying to flee the city after the passage of the Hong Kong national security law. The PRC Coast Guard had caught a group of over 10 people who were headed to Taiwan. Rumor also has it that five Hong Kong citizens tried to take a boat to Taiwan and ended up drifting near the Dongsha Islands.


The PRC Coast Guard prepares to stop the speedboats spotted heading away from Hong Kong.

The speedboats pay no heed but are eventually stopped.

The Coast Guard boards the boats one by one, arresting the people on board.

More than 10 people were arrested. The Coast Guard has been active off the coast of Guangdong recently due to a rise in human smuggling. On the 26th, the PRC Coast Guard announced on Weibo the arrests of 10-plus people illegally crossing China's maritime border three days earlier. According to Hong Kong media reports, the suspect surnamed Li mentioned in the Coast Guard post was democracy activist Andy Li and the group was headed to Taiwan.

We learned about it from the media. We are trying to find out more right now. This was not a joint Mainland-Hong Kong cross-border operation.

Former Demosisto Secretary-General Joshua Wong said on Facebook there was no way Hong Kong's Special Administrative Region government was unaware of the situation because of Hong Kong and China's mutual legal assistance system. According to rumors, boat operators are charging up to NT$1 million for a trip to Taiwan. Further rumors say five Hong Kong demonstrators headed to Taiwan in mid-July ran out of fuel and ended up drifting to the Pratas Islands. The ROC Coast Guard reportedly brought them to Kaohsiung.

Anyone using illegal methods to get to Taiwan, which includes both the people being smuggled and the people smuggling them, will face criminal charges. There is an enormous amount of personal risk involved. The government absolutely does not encourage this.

The Mainland Affairs Council has refused comment on the reports and whether the group was, in essence, granted political asylum. If they are repatriated to Hong Kong, they could be arrested. This would go against the Democratic Progressive Party's declaration of support for Hong Kong demonstrators. The council will only say that Taiwan's government has humanitarian aid mechanisms in place and aid will be granted to anyone who meets the qualifications.



看到香港附近海域，有可疑快艇，中國海警大喊，準備開槍喝阻。

多艘快艇仍然試圖逃離。中國海警一接近快艇，派人登船直接逮人，還不時傳出電擊聲。

抓完一艘，還有一艘。

最後，所有試圖出港的快艇，全被中國海警攔下，當場扣押10多人，由於廣東近期積極查緝偷渡行動，網路上流傳出這段影片。而就在26號，中國海警在微博宣布，23號抓到涉嫌非法越境的嫌犯李姓以及鄧姓等10多人。根據香港媒體報導，其中的李嫌，就是涉嫌觸犯港版國安法被逮捕後交保的李宇軒，他們的目的地，就是台灣。

香港警務處長 鄧炳強表示：「也是從媒體得悉事件，正了解詳情，這次並非陸港兩地的跨境合作行動。」

前香港眾志秘書長黃之鋒在臉書聲援，他指出，港府和中國有相互通報機制，中以偷渡罪名控告港人，特區政府不可能不知情，而由於香港國安法實施，掀起香港示威者逃難潮，不少人選擇經由海路，到台灣避難，傳出偷渡費從新台幣數十萬，飆升到百萬。更有消息指出，今年7月中，有5位香港示威者，搭船偷渡來台，但因為途中油料用罄，漂流到東沙群島，我方海巡署查獲後，將他們安置在高雄。

陸委會副主委 邱垂正表示：「以非法方式來台，包括當事人以與協助者，都將面臨刑事責任的追究，也有人身安全上，極大的風險與疑慮，政府絕不鼓勵。」

是否真的有收留，陸委會不願證實，外界解讀若收留非法來台的香港人士，等同是政治庇護，再加上香港國安法，若將他們遣送回香港，可能會被港府逮捕，違背民進黨政府要撐香港的政治主張。陸委會保持低調，只強調，政府對香港已設有人道援助機制，只要符合條件，都會給予必要的人道援助。