One Hong Kong Detainee’s Account

One Hong Kong Detainee’s Account
Immigration officials during the detainment and deportation of hundreds of Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners. (Courtesy of SOH Radio)
7/1/2007
Updated:
7/1/2007

At the international zone outside the immigration desk of the Hong Kong airport, around 50 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners who haven’t yet entered the country, were peacefully protesting against the Hong Kong government’s violent deportation of detained practitioners. In response the protesters were then illegally and violently detained by nearly 100 Hong Kong police.

At 11.40am on Sunday July 1, SOH radio reporter Chen Xuan interviewed Mr. Chen, a Falun Gong practitioner, who had just been detained in an interrogation room. The following is the transcript of that interview:

Reporter: “What is the current situation over there?”

Chen: “All of us have been taken in one by one, they dragged us in. We hadn’t entered the country yet, we were in the area which should not belong to Hong Kong, the international zone, and the police still took all of us in.”

Reporter: “Approximately, how many of you are there now?”

Chen: “We have around 40 to 50 people.”

Reporter: “How did they get you all into the interrogation room?”

Chen: “Some people were forced and dragged in by the police, the male police dragged the males, the female police dragged the females.”

Reporter: “How many police are surrounding you?”

Chen: “I think it should be…not sure how many, 50 to 100, not sure how many.”

Reporter: “Have all the people that were outside been taken into the interrogation room?”

Chen: “We have all been taken in, we were holding banners there before being taken in. Last night we were there too, they carefully took photos of us, they came and looked at us one by one, when they saw me and said ‘come, come over here’, then they forced me into the room. So one after another we have been taken in. We hadn’t actually entered their country yet, we were in the public place, and they illegally took us and detained us.”

Reporter: “Why did they take you in? What were you doing outside before?”

Chen: “We were holding banners, protesting against them not letting our practitioners enter the country. We have visas so why can’t we enter?”

Staying in the international zone for two days and two nights, Mr. Chen experienced long hours of not being allowed to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. Still now he is detained, he expressed “There are no laws here, this place is ruined, this place is no longer a place that has law, also they used the green screen to cover up it up, it is a brutal place!”

Mr. Chen finally said: “they have no contact with the others since been detained, and are not sure of the situation of the other Falun Gong practitioners.”

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