China says deported Briton was separatist

China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Dechan Pemba, a British citizen who had been a resident here since 2006 and who was deported Tuesday despite having a valid visa, was “a key member of a Tibetan separatist organization” and violated Chinese law while in Beijing.

“When the Chinese police looked into her, Dechan also admitted her wrongdoing,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, adding that the incident had nothing to do with tightened security before the Olympics. He declined to elaborate.

“I am completely shocked at these baseless, fabricated allegations,” Pemba, an ethnic Tibetan who is a part-time English teacher, said in response by e-mail from London. “I would like to clearly state here that I am not a member of the Tibetan Youth Congress and I have no association with them.”

Pemba, whose deportation was reported in Thursday’s editions of The Times, added that she didn’t admit to anything because she has done nothing wrong and has not engaged in any activities that could be construed as anti-China or illegal.

“It is sad to think of the Olympic Games taking place in a country where residents’ rights are so restricted and people who are living legitimately, pay tax and who possess a work visa can be deported so suddenly,” she wrote.

China says its crackdown is essential to counter terrorist threats; critics say the net has been cast so wide that it could undermine efforts to identify genuine threats.