BEIJING — Several more Canadians have
been deported from China following pro-Tibet protests in Beijing.
Steve
Andersen, from Edmonton, and a Tibetan-German, were arrested by plainclothes
police officers after they unfurled a Tibetan flag.
A short time after the arrests, Mike Hudema, a spokesman for Greenpeace
in Alberta, was arrested with four other people from Edmonton.
“They came into our apartment. They ransacked our entire apartment, went
through all of our bags, all of our luggage, despite the fact that we never
consented to any searches,” Mr. Hudema told CTV in a telephone interview.
“We were taken to the police holding facility and interrogated for several
hours before we were deported.”
Mr. Hudema said that he and several members of the group were in Beijing to
observe and did not take part in any protests.
Another Canadian, 24-year-old Chris Schwartz, was also reportedly deported
from China.
Mr. Schwartz, a student at Montreal's Concordia University and a long-time
member of the pro-Tibetan movement, was taken into custody after a mock “die-in”
at Tiananmen Square to protest China's occupation of Tibet.
Wrapped in Tibetan flags, he and a small group of people covered their mouths
with fake blood before denouncing the occupation.
Police quickly moved in and detained them.
During the lead-up to the Olympics, Tibetan activists have tried to ramp up
pressure on China, especially in the wake of violent protests in Tibet back in
March.
Many Tibetans believe China forcibly annexed their territory when Chinese
troops invaded in 1950. China insists Tibet has always been part of its
territory.
Most of the deported Canadians are either in Hong Kong or Laos and will
eventually catch planes to Vancouver.