An investigation has begun into how a mentally disabled Hong Kong boy slipped across the border and was shunted between SAR and mainland officials before being released unaccompanied in Shenzhen.
Yu Man-hon, 15, who is autistic and needs daily medication for hyperactivity, has now disappeared. He has a mental age of two and no money.
Police joined forces with their mainland counterparts last night to search for the boy, who was last seen on Thursday. His mother, father and other relatives are in Shenzhen looking for him.
The boy's mother, Yu Lai Wai-ling, said the mistake was 'irreparable', and feared the worst. The Security Bureau said the Government was deeply concerned and an internal investigation had been ordered.
Man-hon ran away from his mother in Yau Ma Tei MTR station at 11am on Thursday. He was seen by mainland officers at the Shenzhen border later the same day. They asked the SAR side to confirm the boy's identity.
An SAR immigration officer interviewed the boy between 5pm and 7pm. But a department spokesman said that because the boy did not respond to questions and had no documents and because there was no information to show he came from the SAR, he was handed over to Shenzhen at 7pm - handcuffed, to avoid injuring himself or others.
The spokesman said the officer did not suspect the boy - who was highly emotional, urinated and spat in the interview room and threw food and water at the officer - had a mental disability. 'There was no justified reason for us to call for professional assistance,' the spokesman said.
