A retired Chinese official admitted yesterday to telephoning an outspoken Hong Kong radio host who recently resigned citing pressure from Beijing, but denied that he had tried to intimidate him.
Cheng Shousan, a former deputy director at China's foreign affairs office in Hong Kong, told Radio Television Hong Kong that he had merely wanted to arrange a meeting with broadcaster Allen Lee.
He gave no explanation as to why he had was coming forward to justify the calls, although Hong Kong officials said last week they had asked China to investigate the matter.
Lee and two other popular radio talk show hosts who were critical of the government resigned in quick succession earlier this month. The incidents sparked concern that China was suppressing freedom of speech in the territory.
The threats came as temperatures are rising over local demands for more democracy, something Chinese leaders in Beijing are highly uncomfortable about.
Lee told an inquiry into the resignations last week that he had received veiled threats from Chinese officials. The other broadcasters said earlier that they and their families had received death threats.
Lee highlighted one particular call from a Chinese official who asked for a meeting and remarked "your wife is very nice and your daughter is very pretty."
Lee said neither he nor his wife knew the caller. Spooked by the conversation, he quit the radio show the next day.
But Cheng denied that he tried to intimidate Lee, a moderate pro-democracy advocate who is sometimes critical of Beijing.
"I told him I am retired and that now I am working on a dictionary. I have no dealings with the central authorities at all. They merely give me a pension," Cheng told RTHK.
"So when I heard what he said, I thought it was unbelievable."
Cheng said he had met Lee and his wife and daughter at a fashion show years ago.
"Then I asked when we could meet and he said OK, but that he was busy these days during lunchtime because of his radio program ... so I said, I hear you are hosting a program. I said we're private friends, so we can just have a casual chat."
In the past month, a growing number of people have also reported receiving mysterious phone calls from friends and relatives in China asking them if they will be voting in September's legislative elections.
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