Ten Hong Kong residents involved in an illegal border crossing have been sentenced to between seven months and three years in jail, according to a verdict handed down by the Shenzhen Yantian District People’s Court on the morning of Dec. 30.
Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon were sentenced to three and two years in jail and fined 20,000 yuan and 15,000 yuan respectively for organizing the illegal border crossing. Cheng Tsz-ho, Yim Man-him, Cheung Ming-yu, Cheung Chun-fu, Wong Wai-yin, Li Tsz-yin, Li Yu-hin and Kok Tsz-lun were each sentenced to seven months in jail and fined 10,000 yuan for crossing the border illegally. Another two juveniles involved in the case have been allowed to leave the mainland.
According to the verdict, in August this year, Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon organized an illegal border crossing from Hong Kong to Taiwan in accordance with the arrangement of others. On the early morning of Aug. 23, they organized a total of 10 people to meet in Po Toi O in Sai Kung, Hong Kong where they boarded a boat purchased by Tang in an attempt to flee to Taiwan. The boat was intercepted by the Shenzhen Marine Safety Administration in the waters under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province at around 8 o’clock. The 12 people aboard were detained on the same day and approved to be arrested by the procuratorate on Sept. 30.
The court ruled Dec. 30 that Tang and Quinn organized many others to cross the border illegally, which has constituted the crime of organizing others to unlawfully cross the border.
Cheng Tsz-ho, Yim Man-him, Cheung Ming-yu, Cheung Chun-fu, Wong Wai-yin, Li Tsz-yin, Li Yu-hin and Kok Tsz-lun crossed the border illegally and thus constituted the crime of illegally crossing the border. After they were caught, the 10 defendants confessed to their crimes and accepted the punishment.
A release by the Yantian District Procuratorate on Dec. 30 showed that after an investigation and a closed-door hearing, the procuratorate decided not to prosecute two juveniles surnamed Wong and Liu who were also involved in the case.
The two juveniles were allowed to leave the mainland Dec. 30, according to the release by the Yantian District People’s Court.