San Uk Ling Holding Centre () is a detention centre in
Man Kam To
Man Kam To or Mankamto (; Hong Kong Hakka: Vun2 Gim3 Tu4) is an area in the North District, New Territories, Hong Kong near the border with Shenzhen in mainland China.
Administration
For electoral purposes, Man Kam To is part of the Sha Ta cons ...
,
New Territories
The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...
, Hong Kong. It is located in a remote area, a few hundred metres from the
Man Kam To Control Point
Man Kam To Control Point () is a border control point in Man Kam To, New Territories, Hong Kong, within the Closed Area on the border with China. It was the first vehicular clearance border crossing in Hong Kong. Its counterpart across the bord ...
, a border crossing facility between Hong Kong and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. San Uk Ling Holding Centre opened in July 1979 to house illegal immigrants prior to their repatriation.
San Uk Ling was used to detain protesters during the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...
, and there have been controversial allegations of mistreatment and sexual violence which have been vehemently denied by the police.
History
Establishment and early years
The San Uk Ling holding centre was constructed by the government of the then
British Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...
in 1979 as an
immigration detention
Immigration detention is the policy of holding individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorized arrival, as well as those subject to deportation and removal until a decision is made by immigration authorities to grant a vi ...
facility. The increasing numbers of illegal immigrants attempting to sneak into Hong Kong from China had overburdened an existing detention facility at
Ta Kwu Ling
Ta Kwu Ling is an area in the North District, New Territories, Hong Kong, located northeast of Sheung Shui, close to the border with mainland China.
Ta Kwu Ling is one of three new development areas currently being planned for North Distric ...
, which could only accommodate 60 people. The San Uk Ling facility, with a capacity of around 600, was built to hold illegal immigrants prior to their repatriation across the Chinese border, about a kilometre to the north.
The holding centre was formally established in July 1979.
Due to the huge increase in illegal immigration that year, the
Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force
The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force provides additional manpower to the Hong Kong Police Force, especially during emergencies and other incidents.
The HKAPF's mandate is governed by the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force Ordinance.
History
Th ...
was mobilised, with several platoons posted to the San Uk Ling facility.
It is located immediately south of
Man Kam To Control Point
Man Kam To Control Point () is a border control point in Man Kam To, New Territories, Hong Kong, within the Closed Area on the border with China. It was the first vehicular clearance border crossing in Hong Kong. Its counterpart across the bord ...
, a border crossing which was, until 1985, the only vehicular road link between Hong Kong and China. It was Hong Kong's policy to return illegal immigrants to China within 24 hours of capture. Each day, those held at San Uk Ling were taken to the Man Kam To border crossing and handed over at 12:30 pm.
Given the short duration that people were detained there, accommodation at San Uk Ling was rudimentary, with units divided only by steel fencing.
By mid-1986, illegal immigration had declined, and the facility only held around 40 people on a daily basis.
In late 1989 and early 1990, San Uk Ling Holding Centre was converted into a special facility designed to house
Vietnamese refugees
Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...
who were awaiting forced repatriation following their classification as non-refugees. Security was strengthened at this time, and the accommodation was improved.
However, it is unclear if the facility was ever used for this purpose.
The holding centre's five residential huts were reportedly fitted with air conditioners in April 1991. In early 1992, the maximum capacity of the facility was said to be 689.
Following the
Tiananmen Square massacre
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
of 4 June 1989, San Uk Ling was used as a temporary shelter for movement leaders who were transported to Hong Kong during
Operation Yellowbird
Operation Yellowbird, or Operation Siskin (), was a Hong Kong-based operation to help the Chinese dissidents who participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 to escape arrest by the Chinese government by facilitating their departure ove ...
.
During the
WTO Ministerial Conference in 2005, arrested militant Korean farmers were sent to San Uk Ling.
[
]
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, some arrested protestors were sent to San Uk Ling as an overspill detention facility after 5 August 2019. On 11 August 2019 alone, 54 people who were arrested in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui were sent there. While Yuen Long
Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang W ...
, Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more re ...
, Pat Heung
Pat Heung is an area in the middle of New Territories, Hong Kong. Located at the east of Kam Tin and north of Shek Kong, it is the exit to Sheung Shui and Fanling. Administratively, it belongs to Yuen Long District.
Villages
Pat Heung co ...
, and Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui (, literally "Above-water") is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southea ...
police stations being located closer to downtown Hong Kong and having some detainee capacity, San Uk Ling is more remote, making it difficult for arrested persons to contact outsiders.[ There are no ]closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
s in the entrance and exit passages, meeting rooms and search rooms of San Uk Ling. In response to the reason of using San Uk Ling on 11 August 2019, the Police explained that San Uk Ling was found to be "most suitable" for detaining arresttees with its capacity, high level of security, distance from areas of disturbance and the low risk of attack by protesters since there was a widespread disturbance in various areas in Hong Kong, many police stations that could normally be used as detaining centre were under attack or were too close to the areas of disturbance.
Allegations of tortures to detainees
In September 2019, 31 people detained in San Uk Ling were sent to North District Hospital
North District Hospital () or NDH is an acute general hospital serving the population of the New Territories East Cluster. It has now 683 in-patient beds,NTEC Bed Inventory, Hospital Authority 24-hour Accident & Emergency service, specialist out ...
, among whom six were seriously injured with bone fracture
A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...
s. One person was reportedly beaten to the point that his arm was connected to his torso only through skin. Others reportedly had their teeth beaten out, and some reportedly suffered intracerebral haemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
s. There were also allegations of delays in sending the injured to the hospital, and deprivation of necessary medication. Some protesters taken to San Uk Ling also alleged sexual assault by officers there. Six justices of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
who had wanted to visit San Uk Ling to investigate allegations of mistreatment there saw their request denied. In response to the lawmarker Hon Tanya Chan’s enquires on such allegations, the-then Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee replied in the Legislative Council on 6 November 2019 that among the 30 arrestees who handled in San Uk Ling and required medical treatment, no one reported being injured during the detention. There were 10 arrestees reporting injuries upon arrival at the centre and the rest only reported ill for treatment. Regarding the allegation of sexual assault, Lee said that there had been no complaint against police relating to any sexual assault of detainees.
Police’s responses to the allegations
The Police Public Relations Branch said that all the allegations against the centre were "unnamed", "unverified" and "untrue", that it had been nothing more than a standard detention facility, used in line with police regulations. They said that the centre had since 2 September not been used to hold arrested protesters, who would in future be sent to police stations across the city in case of mass arrests. The spokesman further added that the decision "has nothing to do with the groundless allegations of police of misconduct, and that it was a necessary step "to avoid any further public speculation and unnecessary remarks" as to its continued use.[
]
Official Independent Investigation
The city’s police watchdog, Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), investigated the case in San Uk Ling and subsequently issued its investigation result. The IPCC confirmed that as at 29 February 2020, no complaint was made by any arrestee concerning alleged assault in San Uk Ling. However, the IPCC concluded “with its limitations in set-up and equipment, he centrewas not suitable for use as a temporary holding area on that occasion.” The supervisory body also recommended that future detention facilities for mass arrests must be designed to match the standards now available in police arrangements and also review and design a policy of requirements or factors for consideration in identifying a venue to be designated and activated as holding facilities for mass arrests.
Aftermath
= The Poon Yung-wai's case on "inciting unlawful assembly"
=
A male, Poon Yung-wai, was found that had published four posts in a Facebook group with more than 50,000 members, under the pseudonym “Kim Jong-un” between September 19 and 21, 2019. In these posts, he claimed to have learned about alleged sexual assaults in San Uk Ling from a police source, saying female protesters detained in San Uk Ling had been molested and raped after they were given sedatives by police officers, with some committing suicide afterwards. “The black cops injected tranquilizer for female protesters and raped them. Many victims killed themselves afterwards, and officers would take their bodies to other places and throw them from above,” as written by Poon. Another post by Poon also said: “It is said that some male protesters were forced to watch female ones being raped, before the men were hit to death.” Police later arrested Poon on October 16 2019 and subsequent searches confirmed that the accused had logged onto Facebook under the pseudonym Kim Jong-un with the devices.
After a public trial, the court found Poon guilty for inciting unlawful assembly and Poon has been jailed for 13 months. Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor, Chief judge of the High Court, said the offence warranted a jail sentence even for first-time offenders because it was very serious, considering it involved a targeted attack on law enforcement and a risk of breaching public order.
= Cessation of using San Uk Ling to detain arrestees
=
On 26 September 2019, the Chief Executive announced that the Police would stop using San Uk Ling detaining facilities to detain the arrestees. This was later confirmed by the Police on 27 September. The city's police watchdog, IPCC examined the San Uk Ling on 8 October 2019 and discussed with the Hong Kong Police representatives on the procedures for escorting and handling of the arrested persons. After fully adopting the advice by the IPCC in its report, the Police had installed surveillance cameras at the centre, added a fixed-line telephone and upgraded its broadband service for better security and external communications. The Police also announced that a task force was formed to review facilities at the San Uk Ling during its open visit by local law-makers and press in May 2020.
Operations and characteristics
Unlike other prisons in Hong Kong, which are run by the Correctional Services Department
Hong Kong Correctional Services (also called Correctional Services Department (CSD)) is responsible for the management of prisoners and prisons in Hong Kong. The Commissioner of Correctional Services reports to the Secretary for Security.
A ...
, San Uk Ling is jointly operated by the Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
and Immigration Department
The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained la ...
. As of 2019, the facility continues to be used to hold captured illegal immigrants prior to their repatriation.[
The facility falls under the purview of the Ta Kwu Ling Divisional Police Station. According to a 2019 statement by the ]Secretary for Security
The Secretary for Security is the member of the Government of Hong Kong in charge of the Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters.
The post was created in 1973 and since the Principal Offic ...
, San Uk Ling contains four cell blocks containing a total of 16 detention cells, which can collectively accommodate around 200 prisoners in total. The cells have stone beds, lighting, air conditioning, and toilets. The complex also has interview rooms.
Contrary to popular belief, the detention centre is no longer located within the Frontier Closed Area
The Frontier Closed Area (), established by the Frontier Closed Area Order, 1951, and 1984 is a regulated border zone in Hong Kong that extended inwards from the border with Mainland China.
Established to prevent illegal migrants and other i ...
, as the size of the closed area was reduced in recent years.
See also
* Allegations of Hong Kong Police Force misconduct surrounding the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
* Reputation and controversies of Hong Kong Police
* 2019 November Shooting Incident in Sai Wai Ho
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
References
{{2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
1979 establishments in Hong Kong
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
North District, Hong Kong
Police stations in Hong Kong
Prisons in Hong Kong
Police brutality in Hong Kong
Scandals of Hong Kong Police