A press group in Macau has called on the local authorities to explain why they denied entry to Hong Kong journalism scholar Vivian Tam, who was detained and turned away over “public security” concerns.
It was “absurd” for Macau immigration officers detain Tam, a senior journalism lecturer at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), for half an hour on Saturday morning before sending her back to Hong Kong, the Macau Journalists Association wrote on Facebook on Saturday afternoon.
According to the press group, it had invited Tam to attend and host a workshop, but Macau authorities refused to let her cross the border citing “strong indications that the individual in question was engaged in activities that posed a threat to public safety or public order.”
The CUHK lecturer, who had successfully entered Macau before, arrived at the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal at around 11.40 am on Saturday. She was held up by Macau police for 30 minutes, before the authorities rejected her entry. She then took a ferry at 1.30 pm back to Hong Kong.
‘Abusing their power’
The press group said information on the workshop was published on social media early on, and society would “form its opinion” over whether such an event potentially endangered public security and order.
The organisation also accused Macau authorities of “abusing the law” under the pretext of public security, saying such a move sparked concerns that the basic freedoms and rights of the people of Macau were being “further eroded.”
“The rhetoric is absurd, and the authorities are abusing their power based solely on unilateral speculation. The enforcement standards are bewildering and severely impede regular professional exchanges among the public,” the press group said, as they urged the authorities to explain the legal basis of their decision.
In response to HKFP’s enquires, Tam said on Sunday evening that she had no further comment.
HKFP has reached out to the Macau security bureau for comment.
Previous entry denials
It is not the first time Macau has barred Hong Kong journalists from entering the territory. In December 2019, journalists from at least four Hong Kong news outlets, including RTHK, NowTV, Commercial Radio and TVB, were turned away as the Macau SAR prepared to mark two decades since its return to Chinese rule.
In August 2017, four journalists from HK01, South China Morning Post and Apple Daily, who were reporting on Super Typhoon Hato, were also refused entry by Macau immigration officials. The authorities cited its internal security law at the time, claiming that the journalists from Hong Kong “posted a threat to the stability of the territory’s internal security.”
Multiple journalism watchdogs, including the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association, later expressed “deep regrets” over the entry denials. They called on the Macau authorities to “respect press freedom and not to arbitrarily restrict the rights of entry and exit of journalists in Macau.”
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