Posted on 09/19/2019 6:37:27 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
HONG KONG—Chinese authorities have detained a FedEx Corp. pilot in the southern city of Guangzhou, elevating pressure on the express shipping giant that is already in Beijing’s crosshairs amid a U.S.-China trade war.
The pilot, a former U.S. Air Force colonel named Todd A. Hohn, was detained a week ago while waiting for a commercial flight to his home in Hong Kong after flying deliveries throughout Asia from the FedEx regional hub in Guangzhou, people familiar with the matter said.
A lawyer for the Hohn family in Niceville, Fla., confirmed that Mr. Hohn had been detained in China. He was a wing commander at the Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma until 2017.
Reached briefly at his hotel room Thursday, Mr. Hohn identified himself to a reporter and then referred all questions to a family lawyer and discontinued the phone call. He is married and a father, the people familiar with the matter said.
When he was detained, Mr. Hohn was carrying nonmetallic pellets used in low-power replica air guns in a checked bag, the people said. Chinese authorities have alleged that Mr. Hohn was illegally transporting ammunition and have begun a criminal investigation, the people said.
Like many FedEx pilots working in the region, Mr. Hohn commutes to the Guangzhou hub from his home in Hong Kong. Border police have been checking bags of travelers between Hong Kong and the mainland as pro-democracy protests rocking the city have turned increasingly violent.
Mr. Hohn was detained Sept. 12 by Chinese security officials, who escorted him from a preboarding executive lounge, interviewed him and retained his passport, cellphone and other communication devices, the people said.
Mr. Hohn has been told he isn’t allowed to leave mainland China until the investigation concludes, the people familiar with the matter said.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
It would not surprise me.
Really; when did Americans stop fearing Red China? North Korea is regarded with suspicion, yet they only exist because Red China maintains them.
I’ll never visit a Muslim country, but would expect less political BS from them than from Red China, Cuba, North Korea, etc..
I am similar but I did visit Jordan in 1996. I doubt I would today. Any visit puts money into the wrong hands and I buy enough stuff made in China and muslim lands as it is. If I had a choice I would always go for the non communist/muslim country.
I just couldn’t relax in those places; hatred for the West is deeply ingrained there (though Jordan officially is one of the more pro-Western places).
“Eventually, after a week or so, he was released.
FedEx pilot detained, released by police in South China”
Please be more careful in what you say.
From your link:
—
He was later released from custody, subject to provision of a surety, pending investigation for the suspected smuggling of weapons and ammunition, Geng told a daily news briefing.
The Journal said Hohn was not being allowed to leave China until the investigation concludes.
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