Twenty tourists from the UK, South Africa, and India were deported from China on charges of watching videos promoting terrorism and religious extremism.

CChinese police arrested and deported 20 foreign tourists on charges of watching videos supporting terrorism. (Illustrative photo: AFP)

These foreign tourists were watching a documentary of unknown origin in a hotel room. Some of them later switched to watching propaganda videos supporting terrorism, China's state news agency Xinhua reported on July 18, citing a statement from the Ordos city foreign affairs office in Inner Mongolia. Police also found similar videos on the phone of a South African in the group.

The tourists, including 10 South Africans, 9 Britons, and one Indian, were stopped on July 10th as they were preparing to board a flight to Tianan. According to Hoosain and Tahira Jacobs, a British couple, the documentary they were watching, produced by the BBC, was about the life and career of Genghis Khan.

The British Press Association suggested that "officials carrying out the arrests may have made mistakes due to a lack of English proficiency." Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that five South Africans, three Britons, and one Indian were arrested on July 11 under a law "providing penalties for organizing, leading, and joining terrorist groups." All nine "admitted their wrongdoing and expressed remorse." Police processed the case and deported nine on July 18. The remaining 11 were deported on July 15.

(According to VNExpress)