Hong Kong was once a safe haven from China. Now activists are fleeing the city by boat to Taiwan
The 73-year old views the ocean as his route to freedom - a means of escape from the oppression and poverty of communist China.On the night of April 16, 1975, Ha and a friend slipped past Chinese border guards and plunged their homemade, inflatable rubber dinghy into the dark water of Shenzhen Bay.They then started paddling toward the bright lights of Hong Kong, which at the time was still a British colony.
The Hong Kong government later confirmed that"12 local men and women aged between 16 and 33" had been arrested and were now in the custody of Chinese law enforcement. Shenzhen Yantian Police confirmed Sunday that the 12 have been placed under criminal detention for"illegal border crossing" and their legal rights are"protected by the police according to laws.
Hong Kong's new national security law explained 03:20Island sanctuarySome Hong Kong activists are starting to see parallels between the current situation and the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when hundreds of mainland Chinese protesters were smuggled by land and sea to Hong Kong via an organized pipeline called Operation Yellowbird. At the time, Hong Kong authorities did not return dissidents to mainland China.
Official: Taiwan worried it will be the next Hong Kong 02:54Advice from older generationOn a particularly humid September morning in Hong Kong, Ha Sze Yuen strolled along Aberdeen harbor, not breaking a sweat.He pointed out a rubber dinghy on the back of a multi-million-dollar yacht, saying it was about the same size as the home-made boat he used to make the 1975 crossing from mainland China to Hong Kong.
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