All 12 detainees on the mainland in good health, says John Lee

The 12 Hong Kong people detained on the mainland last month are all in good health condition and have picked lawyers to represent them, says secretary for security John Lee Ka-chiu. 

In a televised interview, Lee said each of the suspects was allowed to choose two lawyers from a list provided by mainland authorities.

Lee added the SAR government has requested mainland authorities to provide contact information of the lawyers, but called on respect on the mainland's law enforcement procedures, which would be different from Hong Kong. 

He stressed that the SAR's legal system – the common law practice – isn't the same as that on the mainland, thus the handling of the case may not be in line with practices in Hong Kong.

Families of the 12 people – 11 men and one woman – had urged mainland officials to provide proof that the arrested persons are safe at Shenzhen's Yantian district detention center.

However, Lee said Hong Kong could not send officials there as the SAR didn't have the right to do so. 

Lawmaker Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, who is helping families of the detainees, slammed Lee for disregarding the fact that family-appointed lawyers have the right to visit the suspect. 

Lawyers appointed by the families had complained that they were denied access to the detainees. 

In a social media post, Chu said family-appointed lawyers are important middlemen as suspects aren't allowed to meet their families before the court's verdict. 

"How did Lee ensure the detainees were aware of these family-appointed lawyers? How did he confirm that the detainees chose lawyers provided by mainland authorities on their will? How did he guarantee the detainees weren't under any threats when they made the choice?" Chu said. 

He condemned the government for not helping but merely responded to the case with "hypocrisy and deception".

The 12 are all pro-democracy activists, aged 16 to 33, charged with or suspected of protest-related offenses in Hong Kong. One of them is accused of breaching the national security law. 

Separately, five people were arrested in Taiwan on suspicion of illegal immigration in July, Lee said the SAR government hadn't received replies from Taiwan. 

He added the SAR government vows to follow up the case , and revealed that the island has drastically reduced communications with Hong Kong since anti-government protests against the now-withdrawn extradition bill erupted last June.