Foreign Office trying to find out why holidaymakers on 47-day tour were arrested at Ordos airport in Inner Mongolia

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Eleven Britons, including two with dual British-South African nationality, have been arrested in northern China, the Foreign Office has said.

It remains unclear why the travellers have been detained, as diplomats seek further information from Chinese authorities.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Nine British nationals, and two dual British-South African nationals have been detained in northern China. Consular staff have visited the group to provide assistance and we are liaising with Chinese authorities.”



A total of 20 tourists were arrested on Friday at Ordos airport, in the autonomous Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, while on a planned 47-day tour of the country, according to a South African humanitarian organisation.



Gift of the Givers, a disaster relief organisation, posted a statement on its Facebook page saying a tour group of 20, including nine Britons, 10 South Africans and one Indian national, were arrested.



“No reasons were given for the arrest, cellphones were confiscated, there was no access to the embassies of origin nor to their families,” the statement said. “They were detained without charge with no access to any communication nor to legal representation.”

The tour operator realised something was wrong on Sunday, 48 hours after the arrests, and discovered the holidaymakers had been detained after travelling to the airport, Gift of the Givers said.

Part of a statement on the Gift of the Givers Facebook page. Photograph: Facebook

The group said the Chinese had suggested some members of the tour were linked to a terrorist group and had been watching “propaganda videos” in their hotel room.

It said 11 of the 20 had been released but would remain in detention without being charged until flights out of China could be booked for them. The remaining nine, of which three are British, five are South African and one is Indian, are being held without charge at a detention centre.