Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. More Videos UK consulate employee Simon Cheng detained in China Simon Cheng, 28, was detained in the border city of Shenzhen, the report said.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Wednesday that Cheng had been detained by police for 15 days under a sweeping security law , but did not specify a reason -- the law cited for his detention applies to numerous broad offenses. Police in Shenzhen's Luohu district said Cheng had violated article 66 of the law on administrative penalties for public security, according to Global Times.
China's arrest of a Hong Kong man puts spotlight on a controversial shared rail station. Cheng has not been heard from since August 8, when he told his girlfriend he had boarded a high-speed train, traveling from the Chinese city of Shenzhen to Hong Kong.
The train between the two cities only passes through one immigration checkpoint: West Kowloon station, shared by both China and Hong Kong on the tip of the territory's northern peninsula. Annie Li, Cheng's girlfriend, declined to comment on the charges Thursday. Responding to the new details on Cheng's detention, a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told CNN: "We continue to urgently seek further information about Simon's case.
Neither we nor Simon's family have been able to speak to him since his detention. Friends of Cheng fear his detention could have been linked to recent pro-democracy protests, noting that he had shared pro-democracy images on social media and had voiced support for the city's ongoing protest movement. His detention comes amid reports Chinese immigration officials are regularly searching travelers' phones and bags as they cross the border for evidence they have taken part in protests.
