Protection order sought for baby after parents arrested in DNA test refusal case
Security minister says mother of two-month-old Danny has so far been unable to provide any prenatal check-up or medical records
Hong Kong police have arrested the parents of a baby with no documentation after they continued to refuse a DNA test for the boy’s birth registration on privacy grounds, prompting authorities to later seek a protection order for the child.
The couple were detained on Tuesday following an intervention by the city’s welfare minister, who said authorities finally received an email reply from the pair on Monday evening after five days of unsuccessful attempts to contact them.
The Social Welfare Department said on Tuesday night that it had applied to the court for a protection order in the boy’s best interests, while professionals had developed a care plan for him.
Police later said they noted that a local couple claimed to have delivered a baby at home, but were suspected to have failed to provide the infant with proper care. They said a cross‑departmental task force had been formed to follow up on the case.
The father, 43, was taken in handcuffs to a boutique hotel, Heritage Lodge in Cheung Sha Wan, for a search at about 7pm, with officers collecting a computer.
Earlier, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that police had arrested the parents in Cheung Sha Wan on suspicion of child neglect, and that the two-month-old boy, named Danny, had been sent to hospital for a health check.