China deports last foreign tourists from Inner Mongolia

“These tourists were basically from the top drawer of society and were definitely pretty wealthy, as they had been traveling for such a long time”, Frostburg State University history professor Massachusetts Haiyun told RFA. The Indian Embassy earlier had got in touch with Ministry of Public Security of China seeking more details on the case. “All this has been accomplished”, he said.

However, the Britain-based spokesman for the Jacobs, who described their temporary incarceration as an “unfortunate misunderstanding”, has noted that it is likely the arrest was a mistake caused by language barrier.

Explaining the circumstances behind their arrest, the Jacobs family spokesman added: “While the experience was distressing in the first instance, they say they were looked after at all times and treated well”.

“We still don’t know the answer to this question”.

Nelson Kgwete, a spokesman for South Africa’s Department of global Relations and Cooperation, said the Chinese government had not indicated why the group was detained.

Reports indicate that the group were detained in cells over the weekend, during which they were prohibited from contacting their national embassies in China, family members or legal representatives. “They’re not sure why they’re being held”, Joosub said.

The other detainees include five South Africans and three Britons, while six other British nationals were deported, the British embassy in Beijing confirmed.

South African doctors Feroz Suliman and his wife Shehnaaz Mohamed are also among those detained.

A group of 20 people from the South African charity Gift of the Givers Foundation was on a 47-day historical tour of the country.

Gift of the Givers insisted on its Facebook page that none of the members of their foundation who were arrested have terror links or criminal records in their own country. Ramaphosa responded by assuring the media that the proper authorities were working on getting the detained South Africans released. Our consular staff have visited the detainees and received assurances from the Chinese government about their health and treatment. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.