Arrest of 12 HK fugitives approved by mainland authorities

Yantian People’s Procuratorate in Shenzhen on Wednesday approved the arrest of the 12 Hong Kong fugitives who reportedly tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat in August.

Two suspects, surnamed Tang and Quinn, were arrested for a more serious offence — that of organising others to illegally cross the border, while the other 10 were arrested on suspicion of crossing the boundary illegally.

The Procuratorate said the case is under further investigation.

An investigation by the Yantian Branch revealed that the 12 people boarded a speedboat arranged by a smuggling syndicate in Po Toi O pier in Sai Kung, around 7 am on Aug 23, according to mainland authorities earlier. The speedboat was driven by one of the suspects.

The suspects included the separatism activist Andy Li Yu-hin, who was earlier arrested with Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on charges of collusion with foreign powers to endanger national security. Li also faces a charge over money laundering while Lai faces two more charges for fraud and sedition.

The rest of the fugitives are suspected of being involved in riot-related crimes such as arson, possession of explosives and bomb plots during last year’s often-violent protests, and some are reputed to be members of the so-called Dragon Slayers team, hardcore activists who set out to harm or kill police officers.