HKW Patron Lord Alton of Liverpool asks Foreign Secretary to commit to further action against Chinese diplomats

Today, Hong Kong Watch Patron, Lord Alton of Liverpool has written to the Foreign Secretary to inquire what further action will be taken to hold the Chinese diplomats responsible for assaulting Hong Kong protestors at the Manchester Consulate to account?

Lord Alton’s letter follows the announcement this week that six Chinese diplomats, including the Consul-General in Manchester, have departed the country having refused to cooperate with the police investigation into the assault of Hong Kong protestors at the Consulate back in October.

Rather than declare the Chinese diplomats “persona non grata”, James Cleverly MP, the Foreign Secretary, instead launched a police investigation and set a deadline for their cooperation.

In his letter to the Foreign Secretary, Lord Alton asks whether he will:

“Ensure that these diplomats and their families are permanently banned from the UK and UK overseas territories and dependencies?”

“Commit to pursuing China for financial compensation to cover the cost of the police investigation and restitution for the victims, including Bob Chan, the protestor who was dragged onto embassy ground and beaten?”

“Commit to ensuring that those six diplomatic posts vacated by the Chinese diplomats are not replaced and as a penalty for this assault the number of diplomatic visas available for People’s Republic of China in the UK is permanently reduced?”