Tony Blair's thank-you letter to Muammar Gaddafi puts pressure on Hong Kong
Tony Blair's message thanking the late dictator for his cooperation raises questions about the rendition of Libyan activist from the city in 2004
A signed letter from former British prime minister Tony Blair thanking Colonel Muammar Gaddafi for his "excellent cooperation" in hunting down opponents of the late Libyan dictator has placed renewed pressure on the Hong Kong government to come clean about its alleged role in a secret rendition from Chek Lap Kok airport in 2004.
The letter - which emerged this week - was part of a cache of documents unearthed in Tripoli in 2011 when rebels stormed government offices and toppled the regime.
Along with other evidence, the document sheds further light on the close ties between British and Libyan spies who, along with the CIA, helped mastermind the kidnapping of Libyan dissident Sami al-Saadi, his wife and four young children from Hong Kong in March 2004.
The documents also show how British spy agencies MI5 and MI6 sent more than 1,600 questions to Libyan interrogators who were grilling Saadi and another man. Both men, who were kidnapped and secretly flown to Tripoli, claim they were tortured during their incarceration.
Lawyers in London have been sifting through the documents as part of legal action on behalf of 12 Gaddafi opponents who claim they were targeted by British and Libyan spies.
On Friday, published a letter which was dated April 2007 and printed on a "10 Downing Street" letterhead.
In the letter, Blair writes to Gaddafi to convey his "regret" as recent efforts to deport one of the 12 claimants to Libya had failed.
Blair thanks Gaddafi for their close relationship and mutual support, describing it as "a tribute to the strength of the bilateral relationship which has grown up between the United Kingdom and Libya in recent years".
In March 2004, Saadi and his family were detained by Hong Kong authorities for almost two weeks before they were forced onto a Tripoli-bound plane. Saadi, a vocal opponent of Gaddafi, was considered a terrorist by the West as he had links to al-Qaeda.
British, US and Libyan spies all conspired to ensure the secret rendition was carried out quickly and smoothly, according to classified documents found in the offices of Gaddafi's spy chief in 2011.
In December 2012, Britain - without admitting liability - reached a £2.23 million (HK$26 million) compensation deal with Saadi after he took legal action against MI6.
Saadi's legal team is currently in talks with the Hong Kong government about possible legal action. The government has remained silent about the case since it was revealed in late 2011.
One of Saadi's lawyers, Cori Crider from UK legal charity Reprieve, has previously described Hong Kong as the "proverbial scene of the crime".
A spokesman for the Security Bureau said: "There have been ongoing communications between the legal representatives of the parties concerned on the one part and the government on the other, during which the former maintained their intention to assert a claim against the Government." The spokesman said it would be inappropriate for the government to comment further.
