Indian among group of tourists arrested in China for suspected 'terror videos'

Alien

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BEIJING : A group of 20 foreign tourists including Britons, South Africans and an Indian national, have been arrested in northern China, according to reports by Britain's Foreign Office and a South African charity, on suspicion some had ties to a "terror group".

China has agreed to release 11 of the tourists, but the rest will continue to be held without charge at a detention center in Inner Mongolia, the South African charity, Gift of the Givers Foundation, said.

Chinese authorities said some of those arrested had been watching propaganda videos from a banned group in their hotel room, the charity added in its statement.

Five South Africans, three Britons and one Indian national make up the nine being held, it said.

"Consular staff have visited the group to provide assistance and we are liaising with Chinese authorities," a British foreign office spokesman told Reuters.

The Chinese foreign ministry and the South African embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An Indian embassy spokesman told Reuters he had no information on the matter.

Chinese law enforcement authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.

The group was on a 47-day tour of the country when they were detained at an airport in the Inner Mongolian city of Erdos. Their tour operator realized something had gone "horribly wrong" on Sunday, two days later, the foundation said, when he hadn't heard from them.

"These individuals have no terror links, no criminal record in their country," said Gift of the Givers, which has negotiated hostage releases.

"The families thank the South African government for their unwavering support and call upon the Chinese government to release the detainees immediately."

Several of those detained are relatives of Shameel Joosub, chief executive of telecoms company Vodacom Group Ltd., the charity added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...pected-terror-videos/articleshow/48079586.cms
 

sorcerer

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Chinese authorities said some of those arrested had been watching propaganda videos from a banned group in their hotel room, the charity added in its statement.
Anything other than what the CCP prescribed for the Chinese to watch is a propaganda video in China :D
 

amoy

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If that detained Indian has any links with Ford Foundation or Amnesty or some thing similar sort of charity organisation, I would say, don't release that person! let him/her rot in chinese detention camp.
Nope. One thing revealed this moment they're Moslems.

~~Still waters run deep. ~~from my MiPad using tapatalk
 

Alien

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Nope. One thing revealed this moment they're Moslems.
Whether or not they are Muslims, if they are linked to any banned terrorist organisation or they sympathize with the banned outfits, they need to be punished according to the law of the land.
 

amoy

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Whether or not they are Muslims, if they are linked to any banned terrorist organisation or they sympathize with the banned outfits, they need to be punished according to the law of the land.
up to the moment they're only suspects. most of them must have been deported already.
 

sorcerer

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Indian detained in China on 'terror charge' identified

An Indian was among a group of foreign tourists detained last weekend in the Northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia on unspecified charges that could include terrorism.

The Indian, identified as Rajiv Mohan Kulshrestha was picked along with the others on July 11 and is said to be kept in detention at least for a week.

“A group of 20 foreign tourists including an Indian national, Britons and South Africans, have been arrested in China on the suspicion that some of them had ties to a "terror group,”’ Reuters news agency said quoting a South African charity, Gift of the Givers Foundation.

The information about Kulshrestha’s detention was formally conveyed to the Indian embassy in Beijing on Wednesday, four days after he was detained.

Officials here have sought consular access to him, currently held in detention centre in the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos.

Chinese authorities have shared sketchy details with Indian diplomats till now; only alleging that the Indian was detained because he “broke the law”. No other detail about the nature of his crime was shared.

While reports claimed that those detained were watching "propaganda videos" from terror groups, Indian officials said no details were shared.

According to officials here, the immediate focus is to meet Kulshrestha “as soon as possible”.

Indian officials will soon fly to Ordos to meet him.

In a written response to HT, the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs did not specify what law Kulshrestha — or the others — had broken. “It is found that 20 foreigners got involved in an illegal crime in Ordos, Inner Mongolia,” it said.

But official sources in New Delhi said the Beijing mission was told Kulshrestha was detained under Chinese criminal law on charges related to “organising, leading or participating in activities of a terrorist organisation”. The mission has sought consular access, they added.

“The Chinese have been very vague saying someone in the group has some links to a suspected terror group and that someone has links to a banned group and that the real reason for the incarceration is that someone was watching propaganda videos in the hotel,” the charity said in a statement.

If the charges against Kulshrestha do include terrorism, it would probably be the first time an Indian citizen has been charged under such laws in China.

When contacted, the British embassy emailed a formal and brief statement on the issue.

“Nine British nationals, and two dual British-South African nationals were detained in northern China. Six have been deported. The remainder are still detained. Consular staff have visited the group to provide assistance and we are liaising with Chinese authorities,” said the statement attributable to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson.

The statement added that the British officials were seeking “further clarifications” from Chinese authorities on the reasons behind the detention.

According to Reuters, the group was on a 47-day tour of the country when they were detained at an airport in the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos. “Their tour operator realised something had gone ‘horribly wrong’ on Sunday, two days later, the foundation said, when he hadn't heard from them.”

The Gift of the Givers Foundation identifies itself as “the largest disaster relief organisation of African origin on the African continent,” according to its website, and claims to have delivered millions in aid across the world.

Incidentally, what could add to the sensitivity of the incident with the involvement of a South African charity is that the South African Vice-President, Cyril Ramaphosa, is in Beijing on an official tour.

"We hope to enhance capacity cooperation with South Africa, and carry out technology exchanges and personnel training," Premier Li Keqiang told him in a meeting.

The South African embassy did not respond to questions on the incident.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...ndian-for-terror-videos/article1-1369386.aspx
 

ezsasa

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Nope. One thing revealed this moment they're Moslems.
Was sort of expecting this, Indian sickular media is never shy of revealing names on breaking news. Names are usually withheld in Indian media only when minorities are involved.

I am sure others would agree.

China should punish them if they have done anything illegal.
 

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