HK press denied entry due to ‘attack on patriotism’, says expert

A group of four journalists from Hong Kong, who planned to cover volunteers’ cleanup activities, were denied entry to Macau on Saturday.

The local immigration authority issued a written statement saying the journalists “posed a risk to the stability of internal security.”

The move was criticized for hampering press freedom and affecting residents’ rights to the latest information on disaster relief.

Media outlets including the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Apple Daily and online portal HK01 were outraged, deeming the local authorities “absolutely ridiculous” and asserting that they posed no security threat.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak defended authorities at a press conference yesterday, stressing that the entry ban had to do with “specific reasons that they cannot disclose.”

He added that other regions had also banned entry and that Macau was not an exception.

“We are not targeting anybody in particular […] we are not concentrating on one profession only,” he said.

Meanwhile, speculation that the act was due to the presence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Macau Garrison continue to persist.

Éric Sautedé, a political commentator and Times columnist, suggested that the government may have used a perceived “attack on patriotism” as an excuse to exclude the journalists.

Sautedé recalled that the journalists have been reporting the region’s situation and have been criticizing the government for its shortcomings.

“HK01, especially, ridiculed the Chief Executive, the Secretary for Justice and Administration and the whole exercise at unsuccessful damage control that was the Thursday governmental press conference,” he said.

Yesterday, the Government Information Bureau (GCS) said that the Judiciary Police had begun investigating netizens who are criticizing the PLA, a move that Sautedé condemned.

“First, it is rather indecent as it gives the impression that the lives and the situation of the people of Macau are less important than the reputation of the PLA,” he said.

“Second, it appears overblown because even if there were some unwarranted or even discriminatory attacks against the PLA, they have had, judging by the content on several social media, absolutely no traction,” Sautedé argued.

Although the presence of the PLA was supported by the majority, Sautedé said that the mention of “investigation” in GCS’s statement “feels like a threat, and again slightly overblown, especially because the GCS does not give any details pertaining to the nature of the rumors.”

Further, Sautedé also believed that the “presence of the PLA has been saluted by 99.9 percent of the people, and ultimately calling upon them appears to have been a very wise move.”

The Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association have issued a joint statement expressing deep regret over the denial of the Hong Kong press’ entry.

“We urge the Macau government to respect press freedom and not to arbitrarily restrict the rights of entry and exit of journalists in Macau,” the two groups stated.

Both associations are calling on the Macau government to draw up reasonable entry and exit criteria, and have also requested that the Hong Kong Immigration Department maintain regular communication with Macau authorities to ensure normal entry and exit for travelers holding Hong Kong travel documents.

The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) also criticized the decision of the local authorities.

“AIPIM finds the explanation given by the local authorities incomprehensible and unsatisfactory and cautions that this move, similar to previous ones of the same kind, tarnishes the international image of the SAR regarding press freedom,” it stated.