China to deport all detained tour group members

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."