Nine tourists, including three
Britons and two UK-South
African nationals, are to be
deported from China, amid
reports members of their group
had been watching "terrorist"
videos.
They were among 20 people
held a week ago in city of Ordos,
Inner Mongolia.

The other 11
were deported earlier.
Their tour arrived from the
region of Xinjiang where China
complains Muslims are being
radicalised by jihadi clips.

A charity linked to the group
said they may have viewed
"devotional" films.
The others being deported are
three South Africans and an
Indian national.

The 11
members of the group who
were earlier released from a
detention centre and deported
were made up of six Britons and
five South Africans.

'Propaganda' claim

The tour group, most of whom
were Muslim and included
doctors, businesspeople and
elderly couples, were detained
on 10 July.

Police have not outlined details
of the case but state media
reported the claim about the
videos being watched.

BBC China editor Carrie Gracie
said the charity with links to the
group said they may have been
viewing films as part of their
prayer activities.

The South Africa-based Gift of
the Givers Foundation, disaster
relief organisation, previously
said it had been contacted by
relatives of some of the group
asking for help although it was
not involved in the organisation
of the visit.

The foundation said the group
were on a 47-day tour to
explore the sites of ancient
China and were taken into
custody 30 days into their
excursion.

In a statement on its Facebook
page it said the tour went
"horribly wrong" when the party
was arrested at Ordos Airport
last Friday.

"They were detained without
charge with no access to any
communication nor to legal
representation.

"The Chinese, now trying to find
reasons for the detention,
suggested that some members
were linked to a terror group, to
a banned organisation, to
watching propaganda videos in
their hotel room."

A spokesman for the South
African government quoted by
Reuters said the last of its five
detained nationals would leave
China on Saturday. He said the
Chinese authorities had not
indicated why the group was
held.

South Africa's foreign affairs
minister Maite Nkoana-
Mashabane said South Africa's
Deputy President Cyril
Ramaphosa had been in the
country on an official visit and
took up the case with his
Chinese counterparts.

The UK Foreign Office earlier
said it had "requested an
explanation from the Chinese
authorities about the reasons
for detaining these individuals".

Responding to the latest reports,
a Foreign Office spokesman
confirmed that officials had
been informed that the three
British nationals were to be
deported.

He added: "Our consular staff
have visited the group and have
received assurances from the
Chinese government about their
health and treatment.

"We are in regular contact with
the Chinese authorities both in
Ordos and Beijing."

natas22:

c'mon space bookers are laible to die young