Australian diplomatic officials released a statement early Thursday morning that said “Chinese authorities informed the Australian Embassy in Beijing that they have detained Mr Yang Hengjun”. “The Department is seeking to clarify the nature of this detention and to obtain consular access to him, in accordance with the bilateral consular agreement, as a matter of priority,” the statement said. On Wednesday afternoon, The Age reported that Mr Yang Hengjun had been detained by a squad of 10 security agents shortly after arriving at an airport in China. His arrest was confirmed by a source who witnessed the incident, confirming the worst fears of those close to him.The confirmation that Mr Yang, a democracy activist and former Chinese diplomat, was taken by secret police on Saturday comes after days of silence, with friends and family increasingly concerned for his safety. He left New York for the southern Chinese city Guangzhou on January 18 despite friends warning the Australian citizen it was too dangerous for him to travel to China. Friends abroad have not heard from him since.
After arriving in Guangzhou on January 19, Mr Yang was prevented from boarding his connecting flight to Shanghai with his wife and her daughter. It is understood the agents swooped on the Australian citizen as he was awaiting processing in the foreigners' queue. The rapid arrest suggests that Mr Yang was on a list and authorities were prepared to strike should he set foot on Chinese soil. His wife, Yuan Rui Juan, was detained briefly but then permitted to go to Shanghai with her daughter. After leaving her child with family, it appears Ms Yuan proceeded to Beijing, where her husband may be detained. According to sources, she has now returned to Shanghai and has not been permitted to speak to Mr Yang. Mr Yang's detention comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Western governments, with fears his case might be connected to the detention of two Canadian men by Chinese secret police.
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