Lam coy on FT journo visa denial

HONG KONG: The special administrative region’s leader yesterday refused to say why the city had denied a visa to a leading Financial Times journalist, despite escalating demands for an explanation of the challenge to freedom of the press.

Victor Mallet, the FT’s Asia news editor and a British national, angered authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong by hosting a speech at the city’s press club by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party, in August.

An application to renew Mallet’s work visa has been refused and on Sunday he was given seven days to leave Hong Kong.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee, said the decision had been handed down by immigration authorities.

She said linking it to Mr Chan’s talk was “pure speculation”.

“As a rule — not only locally, but internationally — we will never disclose, the immigration department will not disclose, the individual circumstances of the case or the considerations of this decision,” Ms Lam told reporters.

However, Ms Lam said the government “will not tolerate any advocacy of Hong Kong independence and things that harm national security, territorial integrity and developmental interests”.

She refused to comment on how Mallet could be linked to any of those potential threats when it was pointed out that he was not an independence advocate but had simply chaired a talk by Mr Chan at the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club, which has also hosted talks by Chinese officials.