Hong Kong lawmaker to help expat missionary detained in North Korea
Dennis Kwok will approach Pyongyang's consul in Hong Kong over case of detained expat
A lawmaker plans to seek a meeting with the North Korean consul in Hong Kong in an effort to help a 75-year-old Australian expat missionary based in the city who has not been heard from since being questioned while on a tour of the nation last week.
"This is no different than with dissidents [on the mainland]," said Dennis Kwok, 35, who represents the legal sector and is a member of the Civic Party. "It's a human rights issue."
He said it was unlikely the Hong Kong government would help, as John Short is not a permanent resident, despite having lived in the city for 50 years.
But Kwok argued that the city's officials should step in. "He's been in Hong Kong longer than I have," he said.
While Short has yet to be formally charged, his wife, Karen, 57, said she believed he was being held because he was carrying pamphlets with the intent to "bring light to dark places".
Kenneth Bae, a South Korean-born American missionary, is serving 15 years' hard labour in jail after being convicted of planning to overthrow the North Korean government.