Rights campaigners yesterday denounced Hong Kong’s barring of a senior Financial Times journalist as another blow to press freedom in the territory which has come under increasing pressure from an assertive China.
The refusal by immigration officials to let in Financial Times Asia news editor Victor Mallet on Thursday came hours after an arts center hosting the territory’s high-profile literary festival canceled appearances by exiled Chinese writer Ma Jian (馬建).
A second venue which had agreed to host the author’s two speaking events also pulled out yesterday.
Photo: AP
The literary festival had announced late on Thursday that Ma’s talks would be hosted at the central Annex exhibition space, but the venue said in a statement yesterday it had “no affiliation with the event or the author,” and would not host him.
Ma, a Hong Kong permanent resident and British passport holder, landed in the territory yesterday afternoon.
Amnesty International said the refusal to allow Mallet in was a “distressing signal” about the state of press freedom in Hong Kong and smacked of “retaliation” against Mallet.
The veteran journalist had already had his work visa renewal denied last month and had left Hong Kong, but was barred when he tried to come back in for a short stay as a visitor.
British citizens are usually allowed into Hong Kong without a visa and are permitted to stay for 180 days under immigration rules.
The government has given no explanation for the original refusal to extend his visa, but it is widely believed the decision was linked to Mallet’s chairing of a talk by a Hong Kong independence activist at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club, where he is first vice president.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had asked for the event to be canceled.
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