HK pro-democracy protestor 'Grandma Wong' resurfaces after 14 months of detention
Hong Kong, October 18 (ANI): Hong-Kong's pro-democracy protestor Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu resurfaced in the financial hub after more than a year, saying that she had been detained on the Chinese mainland.
Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu is fondly called as 'Grandma Wong' or 'Wong Po Po', attended the pro-democracy rally during the early days of the movement for greater democracy and police accountability, which started in June last year. She was reportedly arrested in Shenzhen, reported South China Morning Post.
Earlier, she was forced to stand in front of the Chinese flag for hours when detained previously. While being injured during a police crackdown at Tai Koo railway station on August 11, 2019, she was admitted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.
She was arrested by mainland officers when she tried to enter Guangdong City via the Huanggang checkpoint on August 14 last year.
Remembering her ordeal, she said, "Some mainland officers took me to a big room, searched my bag and put everything on a table ... I was taken to a police station in Futian, was interrogated and signed a police statement."
The 60-year-old maverick was placed under 15-day administrative detention in a Futian facility, before being held in criminal custody elsewhere for a further 30 days, until September 29 last year, reported South China Morning Post.
She was subjected to long periods of interrogation during the detention, focusing on her role in the Hong Kong protests.
"They asked if I went to protest with anyone, and did I see people using violence ... There were four teams of officers who interrogated me," she said.
In a media interview, she disclosed that mainland officials asked her to sign an official document promising not to take part in protests and give media interviews. The South China Morning Post could not independently verify Wong's claims.
While recounting her detention, Wong also said that from September to October last year, officers took her to Shaanxi province for a five-day tour of patriotic education. She was also refused her return to Hong Kong.
Wong said she was released on police bail after returning to Shenzhen, on the condition she stayed at her home in the city.
Opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, of the Democratic Party, called on the Hong Kong government to find out from Guangdong authorities why Wong was detained.
"It was scary how mainland authorities could detain a Hongkonger based on her social activism in Hong Kong ... The city's government must make representation to the mainland, even though I know that they would not dare to do so," he said. (ANI)
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