A staffer at the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong has been held in “administrative detention” on the mainland for nearly two weeks after visiting Shenzhen for a meeting, according to HK01.
The outlet reported that Hongkonger Simon Cheng — who works at the consulate as a staffer for Scottish Development International, an agency that promotes investment in Scotland — went missing when he was traveling back from Shenzhen to Hong Kong by high speed rail.
The consulate confirmed to Coconuts HK today that a staffer had been detained and that they were following up on the case, but declined to offer further details.
Cheng’s girlfriend told HK01 that he had a meeting in Shenzhen on Aug. 8 and had arrived in the city around noon, with plans to return the same night. He texted at around 10pm, saying he was “on the high-speed train still,” and again at around 10:40pm, saying he said he was “ready to pass through the border.”
He wasn’t heard from after that.
The consulate told Cheng’s family that they would look into the case, and asked the family to report his disappearance to the police. The Hong Kong Police Force said there was no record on Simon’s arrest in Hong Kong, while the Guangzhou Railway Public Security Bureau told HK01 that there were no records of arrests in West Kowloon Station on Aug. 8 and 9.
On Aug. 10, the Immigration Department told the Cheng family that Simon was being held in “administrative detention” on the mainland, though the reasons for detention remain unclear.
The Chinese Public Security Bureau is allowed to hold people in administrative detention for up to 15 days without trial. The practice has become common as a way of summarily punishing dissenters and others without involving the courts.
Though the reasons for Cheng’s detention remain murky, it comes at a time when Beijing has lashed out at foreign governments, including the UK, for their alleged “interference” in its domestic affairs. The mainland has also sought to popularize the narrative that foreign forces are behind the months-long protest movement that has rocked Hong Kong, including through a major social media disinformation campaign that was only disclosed today.
Reached today, the UK consulate declined to comment on the particulars of Cheng’s case, including whether it was related to the protest movement. In a statement to Coconuts HK, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office would only say that they were requesting more information on Cheng’s detention.
“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,” the office said in a statement. “We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.”
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