The Canadian consulate in Hong Kong banned its staff from leaving on official business after a British consulate employee was detained in mainland China, while the head of the cabin crew union for Cathay Dragon (國泰港龍) said she had been fired in retaliation for supporting protests in the territory.
The Canadian consulate did not say whether the travel restriction was related to the detention of British consulate employee Simon Cheng (鄭文傑), who went missing two weeks ago after going to Shenzhen.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) told a daily briefing that China respects Canada’s decision, but countered it with a Confucius quote: “A gentleman is open and poised; a petty man is unhappy and worried.”
Photo: Bloomberg
The Global Times on Thursday reported that Chen was detained for “soliciting prostitutes.”
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement that it is still seeking further information about Cheng’s case.
“Neither we nor Simon’s family have been able to speak to him since detention,” the office said. “That is our priority and we continue to raise Simon’s case repeatedly in China, Hong Kong and London.”
Geng yesterday said that Cheng’s case is merely a public security issue and not a “diplomatic matter.”
Ottawa on Thursday updated its travel advice for China to warn of stepped-up border checks on smartphones amid reports that Chinese immigration officers are inspecting phones for photographs related to the protests.
Meanwhile, Cathay Dragon Flight Attendants’ Association chairwoman Rebecca Sy (施安娜) told a news conference that the airline dismissed her without giving a reason, but that the firing came after she was pulled from a flight on short notice and asked by an airline representative to confirm that a screenshot from Facebook was from her account.
The company said in a statement that Sy’s departure “has nothing to do with her union leadership role or her union activities.”
However, Sy said that her firing was a symptom of a larger problem.
“It’s not just about the termination of the job, it’s also the whole issue, it’s terrifying. All my colleagues are all terrified,” Sy said. “I feel so sorry for them, because I’m no longer in that position to protect them. I used to be the one to stand behind them, to back up all of my colleagues.”
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions called her firing a “blatant suppression and retaliation on her participation in the anti-extradition bill movement and her actions to mobilize her colleagues to participate as a trade union leader.”
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