Canadian couple arrested under China state secret law 'under constant guard'
Canadians arrested under China's state secret law pass on message via embassy
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 07 August, 2014, 4:54am
UPDATED : Thursday, 07 August, 2014, 11:16am
Reuters in Dandong, China
A notice indicating the closure of the shop is placed behind the window of the coffee shop owned by Canadian couple Kevin Garratt and Julia Dawn Garratt in Dandong. Photo: Reuters
A Canadian couple detained in China on suspicion they stole state secrets are safe but under constant guard, according to messages they passed on via the Canadian embassy, their son said yesterday.
Kevin and Julia Garratt, who ran a coffee shop on the border with North Korea, were detained on Monday, their family have said.
"A Canadian representative has met with both my mother and father for 30 minutes each and they passed on messages saying they are safe and eating well and have a nice place to stay, although they are under constant guard," Peter Garratt said.
The couple, from Vancouver, opened a cafe called Peter's Coffee House in Dandong, an important gateway to reclusive North Korea, in 2008.
Peter Garratt said the Chinese authorities who met with him would not tell him where his parents were being held, but that the facility was somewhere in or around Dandong.
The investigation into the Garratts comes a week after Canada took the unusual step of singling out Chinese hackers for attacking a key computer network, lodging a diplomatic protest with Beijing.
It is unusual for foreigners to be charged with violating the mainland's state secrets law - a serious crime that is punishable by life in prison or death in the most severe cases.
The 21-year-old Garratt, a self-described Christian and student in the northeastern city of Dalian, said he did not believe his parents' religious beliefs led to their detainment.
"My parents are definitely Christian and they don't hide that, but it doesn't seem to fit with what the allegations are. I don't see how that could be related to this case," said Garratt.
The Garratt's restaurant overlooks the Yalu River, which separates China from North Korea. The cafe will be closed while the Garratts were being investigated, their son said.
