“Since you were small I didn’t have to worry about you, your character was always so selfless and loving. Sometimes I thought you should be more selfish....I know how hard it was for you to choose this path.” A mother aches for her son: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hong-kong-12-arrests-china/2020/09/27/fcd90c02-fe26-11ea-b0e4-350e4e60cc91_story.html

Our short profile of 29 year-old Li Tsz-yin cannot do him justice, but deeply grateful to the Li family for sharing his story with incredible strength at this time. Li is one of the 12 held incommunicado in China, intercepted while they were fleeing HK to Taiwan

Hong Kong police in a statement late yesterday finally confirmed details we had in our initial story on their departures (dated August 31), including that one of the suspects was driving the speedboat themselves: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hong-kong-boats-refugees-asylum-seekers-national-security-law-taiwan/2020/08/31/2d429170-eb34-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html

Families are skeptical that the HK police are revealing all they know about the case & have pressed for all marine police radar data from that day. “we are doing all we can, but the Hong Kong government is paying no attention to us, instead they are playing us” Li’s mother said

More about Li: he was a first-aider at the protests, packing his bag with gauze and saline before heading out. He first took to the streets with his parents. When protests no longer received authorisations and became dangerous, he went with friends, staying in touch on WhatsApp

He was arrested almost a year to the date, on a Sunday like this one, right before the Oct 1 National Day when the raptors rushed out of Legco grabbing anyone they saw. His mother watched it on livestream and recognised her son.

At the last mention for his case, several days before he disappeared, Tsz-yin and his mother had an emotional conversation about the prospect of a 10-year sentence. Still, she never believed he did anything violent. “I was hopeful,” she said “that he wouldn’t be found guilty”

About a week after the 12 were detained, Li’s parents and relatives of several other detainees had formed a support group over WhatsApp. Along with activists @owenchowkashing @ChuHoiDick @JooeySiiu they are finding ways to support each other, stay strong and fight back

For the first time this past week, one family member admitted to the WhatsApp group that she missed her relative dearly and wanted him home. But most of the time, Tsz-yin’s mother said, “everyone is trying not to be too emotional,” to support each other to be strong