Activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung said he had to defecate and urinate into a basin and a plastic plate during his three days of solitary confinement in jail.

Wong's letter, entitled "The Prison inside Prison," was sent from prison last Wednesday and posted on his Facebook page yesterday by his Facebook page manager.

The former secretary-general of the now-disbanded Demosisto was ordered by the court to be remanded in the Lai Chi Kok Reception Center on November 23 and was taken to solitary confinement on the same day for 72 hours.

The reason given to Wong for his confinement was that there were "foreign objects" in his stomach, which could be drugs, rings or gold and silver objects.

He said a warden told him that he would be put in a single cell for several days until they [correctional officers] determined what the objects were.

Being prohibited from using the toilet in the cell was the most difficult part, he said, as there was no water from the taps to prevent inmates suspected of drug possession from flushing the drugs away.

Wong was given a plastic plate instead.

"But because of the lack of replacement of the toilet plate, I could only use the washbasin to urinate," Wong wrote.

Every time he defecated, he had to inform officers and let them examine the stool for any foreign objects such as pills or drugs, after which he had to sign an "isolated observation" form.

During his imprisonment, he had X-rays taken multiple times but he was confused as he had not done drugs and had only eaten "normal food" prior to his imprisonment. He was not allowed to see the X-ray results.

Wong was not allowed to leave the single cell, apart from visits from his friends and relatives. He was also denied an hour of outdoor activity.

He added that the light in the cell was on 24 hours a day and his blood pressure and oxygen saturation were checked every four hours, even at midnight.

He also urged the public to continue to pay attention to the 12 Hongkongers who have been detained in the mainland for more than 100 days.

Outgoing lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung said on Saturday that Wong had been released from solitary confinement after more than 72 hours, but was still remanded at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com

Activist tells of time in confinement