It was always a quixotic dream, for 12 young Hongkongers hoping against hope that their speedboat would take them through mainland Chinese and international waters to a safety haven, Taiwan.

The high-seas gamble failed to pay off, and now the 12 are in mainland custody, cut off from legal representation and from the loved ones they did not even bid farewell to before embarking on such a risky journey to escape legal punishment.

Their unknown conditions have made their families and friends sick with worry. As the tearful girlfriend of one of the arrestees told Apple Daily: “I don’t even know whether he is dead or alive. When the lawyers said they couldn’t see him, I wondered if he had been beaten up.

"Even getting a glimpse of him would be enough for me.”

All 12 were trying to flee Hong Kong illegally for Taiwan last month when they were intercepted in mainland waters. The sorry saga was compounded by the fact that they had told no one, not even their parents, until news of the Chinese coast guard’s announcement on Aug. 26 that officers had nabbed 12 people from Hong Kong four days earlier.

Some of the suspects are believed to have ties with anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year that were engendered by a now-scrapped extradition bill which would have allowed fugitives to be sent to places including mainland China, where the human rights situation is daunting. Among the group of unsuccessful escapees was Andy Li, who was arrested by Hong Kong police under national security laws on Aug. 10.

The case was being handled by the Yantian Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen, southern Guangdong province, sources told Apple Daily. Family members of the 12 had commissioned lawyers on the mainland to represent them, the sources added.

However, the mother of one of the arrestees said there was no way that she could know about their situation under mainland detention as all their legal representatives had been denied access to the group.

She told Apple Daily that she was “very scared, very worried” about her son being in custody across the boundary.

“I just hope he can give me a call to let me know him safe and be allowed to meet his attorney,” she said.

It has been more than two weeks and things are not getting any better. Some family members claim that the Hong Kong government has refused to help the 12 people.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said: “On this occasion, the police have been notified of the arrests of these Hong Kong residents, but the question is not [simply about letting them come back].

"If these Hong Kong residents have been arrested for breaching mainland offenses, then they have to be dealt with according to mainland laws in accordance with the jurisdiction before anything else can happen.”

Under mainland China’s Criminal Law, people arrested for illegally crossing the boundary face less than a year in prison, while those who incite others to do so can be sentenced to between two and seven years' imprisonment.

Life imprisonment is possible if they are convicted of having engaged in a large-scale operation or violent resistance against law enforcement.

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