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Twelve Hong Kong residents have been put under criminal detention for illegally cross-ing the border area, the Shenzhen police said on Sunday, adding that the case is under investigation.

The Hong Kong Police Force has been notified about the case, and will soon inform the detainees' family members of the criminal detention, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will provide necessary assistance as requested by their families, Hong Kong media reported.  

The Shenzhen police also said their legitimate rights will be protected in accordance with the law. 

Chinese mainland maritime police in August arrested 12 people suspected of illegally crossing the border in waters under mainland jurisdiction in South China's Guangdong Province. Hong Kong media reported that one of them was an anti-government rioter who allegedly violated the national security law for Hong Kong, and had been released on bail pending an investigation. 

As part of its commonly used tactics of interfering in China's internal affairs, US Secre-tary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, "Washington is deeply concerned about 12 Hong Kong democracy activists being held" in the mainland, saying they have been de-nied access to lawyers and local authorities have not provided information on their wel-fare or the charges against them.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said earlier on Sunday in a tweet that the 12 arrested for illegally crossing the border "are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China."

Some legal experts told the Global Times in an earlier interview that the 12 were alleged to have secretly transported people across the border in waters, in violation of the Criminal Law of China. 

Global Times