HK Journalists Recognised in Japan

Chan accepting the Japanese award on behalf of HK journalists

A day after the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong suspended its Human rights Press Awards citing the national security law, its sister club in Japan have named Hong Kong journalists as winners of its Freedom of the Press Asia Award.

Freelance journalist Ilgin Yorulmaz, co-chair of The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan's press freedom committee, said the award recognised journalists and media organisations who fight for free speech, for the free exchange of information, and against censorship.

The award was accepted by Hong Kong Journalists Association chair Ronson Chan Ron-sing.

He said it was an honour to receive the prize. 

FCC suspended the Human Rights Press Awards

"Hong Kong journalists are kind, passionate and tenacious... although the environment changed, most of us have remained in our position and try our best to find the truth for the Hong Kong community."

Meanwhile another person has abruptly left Hong Kong, a political cartoonist known as Ah To. 

In a social media post, he explained he would face "great mental stress" if he were to continue to produce political cartoons in the city.

On Tuesday he shared a picture of one of his characters in what looked like a backdrop of London and said he left because he "wanted to continue creating for Hong Kong".

Ah To said he thought about changing the theme of his work last year, but felt Hong Kong "needed political cartoons", and said he wanted to "persist" by remotely creating cartoons for his home city.

"I was worried that my future work would not be down to earth... but staying in Hong Kong to produce political cartoon [causes] great mental stress. [I] have no alternative but to leave," he wrote on Facebook, without stating his destination.

Ah To's character in what looks like London

He is known for being critical of Beijing and the Hong Kong government, and has produced work on controversial issues like the national security law, the election overhaul, and the 2019 protests.

Last July pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao criticised Ah To for sharing cartoons that "vilified the SAR government" and "incited hatred against the police".

His work was published in Ming Pao Weekly and Yahoo News, but both columns were cancelled in June 2020 just before the implementation of the national security law on June 30 that year.

In Tuesday's post, Ah To said he had made the decision to leave Hong Kong in a hurry and would not have time to bid farewell to his friends. He felt "guilty" about his departure, adding he would "speak up for the voiceless" and hoped Hong Kong's history would not be left with "silence" in the future.

Ah To's take on Carrie Lam

"Thinking about my family members in Hong Kong who I may not see again, my comrades who are in jail or pending trial, the readers who have been supporting me and my wife who was forced to flee with me... I feel very guilty," Ah To said.

"May good-natured people take care and preserve kindness in different ways," he added.

Ah To is not the only artist to leave recently. Manga artist Tony Lu and performance artist Kacey Wong Kwok-choi both left for Taiwan last year, citing the national security law for the reason behind their move.

PS: Here is the link to my new blog: https://goodbyehkhelloyvr.blogspot.com/

Self-Censorship Suspends Press Awards

The FCC decided at the last minute to suspend the HRPA

There is a lot of fury and disappointment over the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong for suspending its Human Rights Press Freedom Awards that would have been held on May 3, Press Freedom Day, at the last minute. 

The club's president Keith Richburg, said the decision was made after the board had a lengthy discussion about it on Saturday.

"Over the last two years, journalists in Hong Kong have been operating under new 'red lines' on what is and is not permissible, but there remain significant areas of uncertainty and we do not wish unintentionally to violate the law," he said.

Richburg said suspending awards was unusual

Richburg described the suspension as an unusual step to take just weeks before the winners were to be announced on May 3, acknowledging that it is likely deeply disappointing to the candidates, the judges and everyone else who took part.

He added suspending the awards was a very tough decision to reach, and that it "in now way reflects the FCC Board's view of the content of any of the entries or the work of the independent judges."

Nevertheless, Richburg said the FCC will continue to promote press freedom in Hong Kong, though "recent developments" -- without citing which -- might require changes to the club's approach.

In response, some of the FCC's press freedom committee members resigned, including journalists Shibani Mahtani, Timothy McLaughlin, and Mary Hui. Five other committee members have also reportedly resigned.

"As a former winner and judge of the HRPA, I feel nothing but the deepest regret and do not stand by this decision," said Mahtani, who is the SouthEast Asia and Hong Kong bureau chief for the Washington Post.

Many of the events and talks are held here

"It is an award that meant something not only to Hong Kong, but journalists across Asia who covered some of the most consequential developments in the region last year," she said.

"It is emblematic too of the self-censorship many institutions feel forced to subject themselves to in today's Hong Kong, whether with or without their merits."

It would have been the club's 26th year in handing out awards, and many of them would have been won by Stand News, a pro-democracy news outlet that shuttered late last year.

What is also interesting to note is that the HRPA are traditionally co-hosted by Amnesty International and the Hong Kong Journalists' Association. Amnesty has left Hong Kong, while the HKJA is meeting to discuss whether it should disband or not.

These are the times we live in, but as the Foreign Correspondents' Club, it has an obligation to stand up for press freedom and other human rights, and yet it has cowered from this mandate, choosing instead to stay silent probably in the hopes of being able to renew the lease on the property on Ice House Street.

Mahtani resigned in protest

What is the club good for these days? They hold a few guest speaker talks, but it is mainly run by non-journalists now, and serves cheap drinks (and good curries I heard).

The least the club could do is continue to speak out about press freedom when people like Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is in jail along with his senior editors, editors at Stand News are languishing in jail, and most recently journalist Allan Au who was arrested two weeks ago.

But it seems the club is more concerned about preserving itself than taking advantage of its unique position and speaking out on behalf of local journalists, as well as the HKJA, where its leaders, currently Ronson Chan, and previously Chris Yeung, risked its position to speak out as much as possible.

Many feel the FCC chickened out and has lost all credibility with the journalism community in Hong Kong -- or what's left of it.

It's no wonder that local journalists never had an interest in joining this club in the first place, which hardly represented them.

Lam says press freedom is protected in Basic Law

Ironically today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pronounced that press freedom, which is enshrined in the Basic Law, has been safeguarded and upheld in the SAR since the handover, meaning almost 25 years.

When asked about the FCC suspending its HRPA and political scientist Chung Kim-wah fleeing to the UK, Lam claimed they were isolated incidents.

"So I would say that the two examples you have given are those isolated incidents, which might have given people that impression, especially people who tended to misunderstand the constitutional safeguards for press freedom, and that is one has to observe the law in exercising your freedom," she said.

But journalists are observing the law, and yet they are caught in the crossfire, Mrs Lam... for whatever charges the national security police wish to prosecute them... surely that is the erosion of press freedom...

HK's Press Freedom from Two Sides

The Foreign Correspondents' Club at crosshairs with Beijing

The Foreign Correspondents' Club may be in a perilous position after the Hong Kong office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the association of abandoning its professional ethics and "sowing discord" over the state of press freedom in the city.

The condemnation came after the FCC published a survey of 99 journalists, of which 83 said the working environment for the media had "changed for the worse" since Beijing imposed the national security law in June last year.

Media landscape changed after NSL enacted

More than 90 percent of respondents also had concerns about a looming law against "fake news", which the government wants to introduce to combat doxxing, hate speech and misinformation amid the coronavirus pandemic, and after the anti-government protests in 2019.

"We urge the FCC to stop sowing discord and refrain from interfering with the law-based governance of [the Hong Kong administration] and [the city's] rule of law in the name of press freedom," said the office of the foreign ministry's commissioner in a strongly worded statement.

"The FCC has walked away from its professional ethics. Its misleading report, based on just a few responses, is neither representative nor credible. Its smearing of Hong Kong's press freedom and playing up of the chilling effect are interference in Hong Kong's affairs."

FCC respondents concerned about reporting

However, on the club's website, FCC president Keith Richburg said the club would not respond to the ministry's statement.

The FCC survey found more than four-fifths of respondents had noted the challenges of finding sources willing to be quoted for news stories since the national security law was enacted, with even relatively neutral topics deemed too political by interviewees.

One FCC member said previously sources were more willing to speak on any topic within reason, while publications had no real concerns on what they could publish, or on protecting who would speak to them.

"Now, many people are reluctant or refuse to talk on sensitive subjects, and our organization, especially after the raids on Apple Daily, is much more cautious about data security and the ability to protect sources," the member said.

Apple Daily was forced to close earlier this year

Apple Daily saw its publisher Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and several executives and newsroom editors arrested on security law charges, and was ultimately forced to shut down earlier this year.

Fifty-six percent of survey respondents said they practiced some self-censorship or avoided reporting on what might be considered sensitive stories.

Another member added considering covering the topic of Hong Kong independence had to be carefully considered before covering it in detail.

"These results clearly show that assurances that Hong Kong still enjoys press freedom, guaranteed under the Basic Law, are not enough," Richburg said of the survey before Beijing's rebuke.

"More steps need to be taken to restore confidence among journalists and to make sure Hong Kong maintains its decades-long reputation as a welcoming place for the international media."

Richburg say confidence must be restored

However, the foreign ministry office said the survey's findings had "attacked the national security law", and countered that the legislation had protected the country, restored social stability and given people a greater sense of safety.

"Thanks to the law, Hong Kong could refocus on fighting Covid-19, revitalising the economy and improving people's livelihood," it said.

It should be pointed out that the survey's respondents are mostly expats, though it wouldn't be surprising to find local journalists feel the same, if not even more worried about the effect of the national security law on their reporting.

But the foreign ministry insists everything is fine in Hong Kong, if not better with the national security law, so the FCC perhaps is hoping to resolve the situation by agreeing to disagree. Though one gets the feeling that won't satisfy Beijing...

Press Freedom Under Attack in Hong Kong

Journalists on the frontlines reporting on last year's protests

 

Press freedom in Hong Kong continues to be in a perilous state, with Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung reiterating what the police force said earlier this week, that the force's definition of who a journalist is will make it easier for front-line officers to distinguish between bona fide reporters and those "fake reporters" who blend into the crowd.

In his blog today, Cheung also said that press freedom in the city was protected by the Basic Law, adding more than 200 media organizations, including more than 30 online outlets were registered with the official Government News and Media Information Service.

However, how many of those 200 media organizations does the Hong Kong Police recognize?

Press freedom continues to be eroded by police

On Tuesday the force announced that only those reporters who were registered with the government news service or who work for "well known international media were "journalists".

Previously the definition of journalist included anyone with credentials from a local media organization, along with members of two press unions.

A coalition of eight media groups said on Thursday they were considering a legal challenge to the policy, adding the police had failed to substantiate claims about bogus journalists. In addition journalism instructors from the various universities in Hong Kong blasted the policy, saying it excluded student journalists.

They have been crucial frontline reporters who have courageously recorded incidents police brutality last year.  These include: police beating up passengers in the MTR carriage at Prince Edward station on August 31; an officer shot a protester at point blank range in Sai Wan Ho on November 11; another protester shot on October 1 by police.

The most recent clip by student reporters was on September 6, earlier this month, when several officers pinned down a 12-year-old girl in Mongkok.

After the Foreign Correspondents' Club wrote an open letter firmly opposing the move, the Foreign Ministry office in Hong Kong also weighed in, accusing the FCC of "meddling with Hong Kong affairs on the pretext of press freedom". 

Student reporter captured officer shooting protester

Unbelievable... the job of the FCC to speak out about press freedom the city.

Meanwhile, RTHK has reopened an investigation into reporter, Nabela Qoser, who is known for her blunt questions directed at government officials.

During last year's protests she asked very pointed questions at Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for Security Stephen Lo Wai-chung.

After the Yuen Long attacks of white-shirted men on people in the MTR station, Qoser asked Lam in Cantonese, "Where were you all last night?" and demanded that Lam "answer like a human being".

While many people praised her for asking what everyone wanted to know, pro-Beijing media have accused her of being "rude to government officials" and some have even urged RTHK to fire her. 

A staff member at RTHK who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was frustrating to see management assessing staff based on external pressure, and not on the merits of their work.

RTHK's Nabela Qoser known for her blunt style

"We've been fighting on the frontline, but the management are now working with some external force to suppress us," the person said.

The employee added Qoser has passed all six of her appraisals over the past three years.

Press freedom is very vulnerable in Hong Kong now. While there are reporters working hard to get the truth out, at the same time everyone must do whatever they can to protect press freedom from being further eroded.

 

Lam Claims Govt Battling Misconceptions

A top judge quits and police redefine reporting in HK

 

It was shocking news to hear that an Australian judge had resigned from the Court of Final Appeal back on September 2, but it was only disclosed a few days ago, after the announcement was gazetted. The other concern was why.

Apparently he did not explain why in his resignation letter, but Justice James Spigelman later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation it was because of the new national security law, but would not elaborate further. He is quitting two years ahead of schedule as a non-permanent judge in Hong Kong's highest court.

Today in her regular press briefing, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insisted the judicial system remained intact despite Spigelman's imminent departure, and she would not speculate on why he was leaving even though he had briefly explained to the ABC.

Carrie Lam claims judiciary still in tact

"In his resignation to me, he did not mention at all any reason or any consideration in his decision. So I cannot speculate on his rationale for doing so, except to stress under the Basic Law, we welcome judges from other common law jurisdictions to sit on the Court of Final Appeal," she said.

"And right now, we have 13 very eminent judges from common law jurisdictions, and I'm sure Hong Kong will benefit from their wise counsel and expertise in adjudicating cases."

Should we be comforted by this? There are concerns other judges may quit as well, though one, Justice Robert French told the ABC he would stay on.

"I have the greatest admiration for the chief justice and other permanent justices of that court and for their commitment to maintaining its judicial independence," he said.

"My continuance in office is a reflection of my support for their commitment and my belief in their capacity to give effect to it. I would not continue if I believed otherwise."

Nevertheless, Lam admitted today the government was battling perceptions about the new national security law internationally, that it was opaque in its definition and appeared to repress people's freedoms.

But she felt those concerns were misplaced.

Justice James Spigelman has quit top court

"Whether it is the constitutional arrangement or the enactment of the national security law, they will not affect judicial independence or the rule of law," she said.

"The legal system is as robust as ever under the national security law."

Lam said the government and China's foreign ministry have been countering what she claim

ed were misrepresentations, and that they were explaining to the international community that the new law aimed at restoring law and order in Hong Kong and make the city a more attractive business hub.

Law and order is being restored according to the police's own definition and not according to the Basic Law. Today the police announced it will limit only reporters from news outlets recognized by the government to attend press briefings and restricted areas.

Starting from tomorrow, the force will stop recognizing press accreditation issued by local media groups or journalist associations, unless they are registered with the Information Services Department. Internationally recognized media outlets will not be affected.

The big question is -- does this mean Apple Daily -- will be allowed behind restricted lines?

The police claims this new move will prevent political activists and "fake reporters" from attending these press briefings, while local media organizations, including the Foreign Correspondents' Club have blasted this latest development, accusing it of suppressing press freedom.

Police now decides who is media and who isn't

"Journalist associations have been calling on us to give a clear definition of 'the press'. The new measures provide an objective and transparent definition, which helps facilitate real members of the press to do their job," said a senior officer involved in formulating the new policy.

However, leading journalist groups said the definition had been changed without them being consulted.

Previously, media representatives were defined as news workers in possession of identity proof issued by individual newspapers, news agencies, or television and radio outlets, as well as those with membership cards provided by the Hong Kong Journalists Association or the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association.

But apparently now the police won't recognize the above definition anymore -- meaning media outlets and journalism associations don't mean anything to the force, real or fake.

HKJA chairman Chris Yeung Kin-hing said the change was "very sudden and regrettable", as the existing arrangement had been agreed after discussion with the police and government.

"It's damaging to our working relationship with the police as they changed it without consulting us," he said. "There has been no proven case that the HKJA or the photographers association's membership cards caused any problem. The force just used the public impression that there are 'fake reporters' as the basis to make this change."

Reporters routinely tear gassed by police last year

The police are using this latest move to control the narrative after the negative reporting on their tactics against protesters during last year's protests. This does not bode well for media organizations, as well as young student reporters, many of whom have been fearless in their front-line reporting. 

One of the latest by student reporters was the video clip of the 12-year-old girl who was pinned down by police on September 6 in Mongkok during a protest; the girl claims she was in the area buying art supplies.

Hong Kong is changing rapidly, its authorities spinning its own revisionist history, and no

w proactively moving towards controlling the narrative despite claims that free press and free speech are alive and well.

Sadly the city's band of journalists who believe "the pen is mightier than the sword" are waging a political battle of not only getting the truth out, but also proving their own integrity.

Remembering Yuen Long A Year Later

The riot police outnumber the protesters at Yoho Mall tonight

Today marks the first anniversary of the horrific attacks of white-shirted men against people last year in the Yuen Long MTR station, and many people remembered that day by protesting in Yoho Mall which is attached to the station.

They chanted slogans, sang the protest anthem, and held up blank pieces of paper or posters that said "Don't forget July 21", or "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times".

However it seems ironic that a year ago the police took 39 minutes to respond to thousands of calls about the attacks, while today they tried to preempt the protests by showing up in droves.

Many protesters fined for not social distancing

The police wore riot gear and were prepared to do battle with protesters, who were only armed with pieces of paper. The over reaction seemed outrageous, as they handed out fines to people for not social distancing, and arrested pan-democrat lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung for allegedly obstructing police.

Three other Democratic Party lawmakers, party chairman Wu Chi-wai, vice chairman Andrew Wan Siu-kin, and Lam Cheuk-ting were fined for failing to follow the ban on groups of more than four.

"We came in groups of four," said Lam. "But when we arrived, the police ushered us together and then claimed we had breached the social-gathering regulations. If police had deployed one-tenth of the manpower last year to handle the July 21 attack, the attack might not have taken place."

Hard to believe, but the police are still investigation the incident.

Many came out to remember the anniversary

Calvin So was the chef who finished work and was going home when he was attacked by the white-shirted men with sticks. His back and legs were covered in welts last year.

"I was invited by police to give a statement once last August and then the police called me two or three times later in October for some follow-up questions," So said. "Since then, I have not heard anything from the police. I can't help thinking they are not actually serious in investigating the case."

Earlier in the day a protest was held in a shopping mall in Central where one young protester was fined for violating social-distancing rules.

"I was crying not because I was fined... But where were all these officers on July 21 last year? Now, why are there so many of them here to slap fines on young people?"

The balloons say: "Don't forget July 21"

Tonight reporters on the scene are the target of the police, who searched many of them more than once -- one tweeted she was checked four times -- perhaps as a form of intimidation. They screamed at the reporters to stop filming and take pictures, but that is their job. Again, another overreaction.

This anniversary is so sensitive because it really marked a serious deterioration in the relationship between protesters and the police. And it was one of the main reasons why protesters demanded an independent inquiry into police brutality, claiming there was collusion between the police and triads.

The claim has yet to be proven, though Clifford Stott, one of the policing experts who was hired by the IPCC to investigate, but then quit en masse, will release his own report soon.

In June he gave an online interview with the Foreign Correspondents' Club saying he and other foreign experts resigned, as they were "manipulated and put in an awkward position" by the Independent Police Complaints Council.

Last year's infamous pic of alleged collusion

The IPCC released its report on May 20 this year, basically clearing the force of misconduct.

"We were put in a difficult position. We were in the end manipulated and put in an awkward position," Professor Stott said, adding, "There is no way I could have stood by that report."

We look forward to seeing what Stott has to say about how the protests were handled last year, and of course the government and the police's reaction to his report.

Because we will never forget what happened July 21, 2019; it is forever seared in our collective memories.

Hong Kong's Press Freedom Sinks Further

Andy Chan's talk at the FCC called into question press freedom in Hong Kong

We're not surprised by the report today that press freedom in Hong Kong is at its lowest in six years, as perceived by the public, who for the first time cite concerns of Beijing's influence.

Several incidents made the headlines last year: the Hong Kong government expelling former vice president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club Victor Mallet, the government's banning separatist Andy Ho-tin's Hong Kong National Party, mainland Chinese officials attacking Hong Kong journalists in Beijing and Sichuan, and cancellation of talks by Chinese dissident Ma Jian by Tai Kwun.

Shirley Yam (left) says the low score is concerning

A survey was jointly released by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong on Tuesday, and it revealed almost one in four journalists said their superiors had pressured them to cut coverage on the city's independence controversy.

This was when separatist Chan was invited to speak at the FCC in August and it later resulted in Mallet's visa not being renewed and he was forced to leave Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association chairman Chris Yeung Kin-hing said: "The public and journalist community are increasingly worried. Some responses are even alarming."

The annual survey was conducted between January 21-24 to 1,003 people, who gave the city an overall score of 45 out of 100, a record low since the survey started in 2013. More than one-third of the respondents (368), said Beijing's influence was their main concern, followed by self-censorship, decline in confidence in legal protection for journalists, diversity in voices, and supervision by mass media.

Ma Jian's talk in HK that was off then on was also an issue

The survey also interviewed 533 journalists between January and February, and most were worried about self-censorship, followed by Beijing's influence. The journalists gave a score of 40.9 out of 100, similar to last year.

In a question for journalists only, 112 of 516 respondents, or 22 percent, said their superiors had applied pressure for less or zero reporting about the controversy surrounding those calling for the city's separation from China.

Shirley Yam, the association's vice-president, said the number was significant.

"Our survey covered 35 news organizations. It means on average, three to four reporters in each has had that experience," she said.

Yam cited the worst scores under the press freedom index went to the prevalence of self-censorship, pressure from bosses or management, and scruples on criticizing Beijing.

"Can't you see the big picture here? Journalists find self-censorship more widespread and reports ruffling the authorities' features are more often pushed down by senior media figures."

What was Andy Hui doing in the back of a car?

It's a chilling effect but it's sadly going to continue in newsrooms across the city.

Perhaps even more depressing is that this story was dwarfed by the report of Cantopop star Sammi Cheng Sau-man's husband Andy Hui Chi-on was caught on camera kissing another woman in the back of a car...

Hong Kong Press Freedom Threatened

Financial Times' Asia news editor Victor Mallet's visa was not renewed

If you need further proof of Hong Kong's mainlandization, you can count today. The local government has refused to renew British journalist Victor Mallet's visa after he chaired the talk of an independence activist at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in August.

The announcement was made by Mallet's employer, the Financial Times of which he is has been the Asia news editor since 2016.

"This is the first time we have encountered this situation in Hong Kong, and we have not been given a reason for the rejection," said a spokeswoman in the London office.

As expected the media industry was outraged by this latest development, starting with the FCC urging the government to let Mallet stay in the city.

He defended the FCC's right to have Andy Chan speak

"The FCC is expecting a full explanation from the Hong Kong authorities for this extraordinary move, which is extremely rare, if not unprecedented," the statement read.

"Hong Kong rightly prides itself on its reputation as a place where the rule of law applies and where freedom of speech is protected by law. The FCC has been proud to represent and champion that reputation since it moved here in 1949.

"In the absence of any reasonable explanation, the FCC calls on the Hong Kong authorities to rescind their decision."

The FCC took a lot of heat for having Hong Kong National Party's Andy Chan Ho-tin speak. Only last week the party was officially, making it illegal for anyone to financially support or aid the party that promoted the city's independence -- at any cost.

Just before the August event at the FCC, Mallet defended the talk as upholding freedom of expression, and that everyone should be allowed to voice their opinions. Days before the talk, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the FCC to call off the lunchtime talk, while the Hong Kong government objected to it.

There was heavy police presence during Chan's talk

Speaking in a personal capacity, Chan condemned the move as a reprisal for the club's decision to host him.

"It has dealt a severe blow to the city's press freedom, and will greatly affect Hong Kong's image," he said. "It is really a big deal. How could the government refuse to renew the visa of a journalist without even offering any reason?"

As expected politicians followed party lines, where pro-Beijing lawmakers said the ban was expected as the FCC had breached the constitution and the law, while pan-Democrats condemned the move as retaliation against the club for inviting Chan to speak.

Legislator Claudia Mo Man-ching said the decision was "very political" and a "bad precedent".

"We are telling the international press that Hong Kong can only accept people who will 'good-mouth' Hong Kong," she said.

Meanwhile Chris Yeung Kin-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association said the government should come clean and explain its decision, as only on mainland China are journalists' visa applications were rejected on political grounds.

Hong Kong's reputation is being threatened by this incident

"Has Beijing exerted any pressure on Hong Kong? If yes, that has already eroded the high degree of autonomy which Hong Kong enjoys," he said. "It would be worse if it was only a second-guess by Hong Kong officials."

Exactly. So which one is it?

Yeung also believes Mallet's case is not an isolated one and that it could result in self-censorship.

Maya Wang, senior researcher on China for Human Rights Watch says, "The Hong Kong authorities' visa renewal rejection -- without explanation -- of a journalist who's done nothing more than his job smacks of Beijing-style persecution of critics.

"Together with the recent and also unprecedented banning of the Hong Kong National Party, the visa rejection indicates a quickening downward spiral for human rights in Hong Kong; that the Hong Kong government is now following Beijing's lead in acting aggressively towards those whose views the authorities dislike."

Mallet applied for his visa renewal last month, but it was not clear when his application was rejected. He is currently outside of Hong Kong and was unavailable for comment.

The only other time another journalist was denied a visa was in 2011 with liberal mainland Chinese commentator Chang Ping.

Is Beijing putting pressure on the Hong Kong government? Or are local authorities wishing to please Beijing?

Either way the optics are bad for Hong Kong and China. The faster they speak up to clear the air, the better.

Hong Kong cannot afford to see its rights and freedoms slowly withering away -- without them the city is not what it stands for anymore.

Hong Kong Leader at a Loss for Words

Carrie Lam couldn't find the words to denounce Andy Chan today

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was so angry -- she was at a loss for words.

The other day, stoked from all the publicity of of speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club last week and causing a major kerfuffle in Hong Kong, Andy Chan Ho-tin decided to ratchet it up a notch. He sent a letter to American President Donald Trump, calling for China and Hong Kong to be kicked out of the World Trade Organization.

Chan called for China and HK to be kicked out of the WTO

It's laughable to say the least, but Chan actually dared to ask that the WTO membership be revoked for China and Hong Kong, citing a "rapid deterioration of freedoms" in the city and the loss of autonomy under Chinese rule.

He wrote that the US government should suspend the "differential treatment" given to the city under the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act, meaning China-targeted tariffs and trade policies would be applied to Hong Kong too.

Currently Hong Kong is benefiting from the trade dispute between China and the US, as many American fruits meant for the mainland are landing in the city at cheaper prices. 

Today before meeting with her advisers in the Executive Council, reporters asked Lam if she thought Chan's letter was appropriate.

"Of course such action is not appropriate," she said. "And just describing it as inappropriate perhaps has not reflected the public outcry and anger with that sort of action. I can only say that this is deeply regretted."

Chan wrote a letter to Trump, but there was no response

That's it? "Deeply regretted"?

How about absolutely abominable, or completely outrageous, totally despicable, utterly reprehensible, downright repugnant, terribly obnoxious...

Mrs Lam! There are so many adjectives you could have used!

In the end a spokesman from the US consulate in Hong Kong said Hong Kong was treated as "a special administrative region distinct from China for purposes of US domestic law".

"We judge that Hong Kong retains a sufficient level of autonomy to justify continued special treatment by the United States for bilateral agreements and programs."

Chan's request won't be entertained anytime soon. In the meantime we hope Lam will be brushing up on her vocabulary when it comes to adjectives. The more fiery the better.

Beijing's Fiery Response

Andy Chan's speech at the FCC is still riling up Beijing days after

Following Hong Kong National Party convenor Andy Chan Ho-tin's controversial talk at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday, Beijing came out blasting with fiery tones.

Zhang Xiaoming, director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, strongly hinted it was time for the city to enact Article 23 of the Basic Law, which among other things, demands Hong Kong "prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government".

Zhang claimed Chan and the FCC were committing sedition

"This incident has reminded us we have to reflect and review Hong Kong's inadequacies in protecting national security," Zhang said on Wednesday, but he stopped short of urging the city to push Article 23 forward.

He referred to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hong Kong last July, when he called for the implementation of the constitutional order of the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law. Xi also urged the Hong Kong government to "improve and complete" systems related to its mini-constitution.

Zhang accused the 27-year-old Chan of committing a crime under Article 9 of the Crimes Ordinance, which covers sedition, and the FCC of assisting him in committing the offence.

"The HKNP and people, including Chan, have plotted, organized and carried out activities with seditious intent -- they want to break up the nation," Zhang said.

He claimed both were breaking the law, as the HKNP is not a registered group, and the FCC "aided" Chan's seditious intention.

Lam is waiting for a good time to enact Article 23

"[The club] knows Chan and HKNP's motives, but it ignored the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SAR government's repeated advice. It stubbornly invited Chan to give a speech at the FCC," Zhang said.

Meanwhile Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor came out to say Article 23 would be enacted eventually, and she was still waiting for the right time.

Did Chan play into Zhang's hands? In some ways it seems like it, but Zhang is blowing a lot of hot air in the form of verbal threats. Chan and the FCC have not incited violence and so they have not done anything illegal.

But by the same token, Zhang and Lam played into Chan's hands, perfectly illustrating what the young, composed activist feels about Beijing and Hong Kong government officials. The former acting like an "empire", the latter meekly obeying whatever the empire says.

Lam seems to be under the gun to get Article 23 implemented, but she will now have to wait for tensions to die down -- but will they?

Hong Kong National Party Speaks

Andy Chan argues why Hong Kong should separate from China at the FCC

Hong Kong National Party convenor Andy Chan Ho-tin knew he would be the centre of attention today, giving a talk at the Foreign Correspondents Club and so he got himself into the building in Central hours before it started at 1pm.

In previous interviews he spoke in Cantonese, but this being the FCC the 27-year-old spoke with a slight British accent and his English was pretty good. He was also dressed in a suit to show he should be taken seriously by the much older adults in the room.

I caught the last half of his appearance on Facebook Live and he was composed, answering questions from the audience, mostly made up of journalists. He called China an "empire" and that Hong Kong being independent was the only way it could achieve democracy.

Chan leaves the FCC with police protection

During the Occupy protests in 2014, he explained he was not political at all, only concerned about his career after graduation. However the failure of the Umbrella Movement made him come to the conclusion that it wasn't the Hong Kong government that would grant the city democracy, but the Chinese government.

Hence the need for the city to separate from China and grant itself democracy.

However most people have problems with the part where he said they will use violence if necessary...

Nevertheless, Chan remained unflappable during his FCC talk and the question and answer period after, where the shouts of protesters -- those against him and those for protecting freedom of speech -- were heard inside the room.

"Time and again, our government has shown that whatever 'freedom' and 'democracy' they claim to be upholding are communist mirages," he said. Chan gave examples of the government's bid to stop him from running in the Legislative Council elections in 2016, the ban of the HKNP from registering as a company, and the police proposal to ban his party altogether.

He accused China of reneging on its promise in the Sino-British Joint Declaration that guarantees the "one country, two systems" guiding principle for Hong Kong, declaring the mainland "by its nature as an empire, a threat to all free peoples in the world".

There were protesters against Chan and his platform...

Chan added Hong Kong was suffering "national cleansing" thanks to the one-way permit scheme that allows 150 mainlanders to settle in the city each day.

"Local communities were shattered, because of the rapid influx of an incompatible culture... our very living space is taken from us," he said.

"Even our language, the words that shape our thoughts, are being demonized. Per China's orders, Hong Kong's future generations will now abandon Cantonese and switch entirely to Mandarin."

He is speaking out what many are thinking, which is very daring. Chan seems to be very aware of the consequences and continues to stick his neck out even though he is followed everyday and his family is harassed by people when they are at home.

As expected, the Chinese and Hong Kong governments condemned Chan for his speech and the FCC for giving him the platform to speak, even though the latter stressed the event was an exercise in free speech.

Beijing's Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong released a strongly worded statement.

...And there were those supporting freedom of speech

"FCC has already made its stance when it decided whom to invite for a talk. It would be hypocritical or fooling oneself to insist with sophistry that it does not hold a stance after doing something wrong," the statement read.

"We urge the FCC to reflect on itself and right the wrong, and follow the Chinese and SAR laws with its actions... any words and actions which attempt to break Hong Kong away from China would be punished, and no Chinese citizen would agree with anyone or group which backs the Hong Kong separatists."

The Hong Kong government was not as fiery in its tone:

"Providing a public platform for a speaker to openly advocate independence completely disregards Hong Kong's constitutional duty to uphold national sovereignty. It is totally unacceptable and deeply regrettable," it said.

Well... it was China who made such a big deal about it in the first place that led us to where we are today. If it had not called attention to his speaking engagement, then the whole event would have come and gone with hardly anyone noticing.

But Chan's talk turned into a referendum on freedom of speech and he willingly took the spotlight.

Now his party has to submit its defense to the police on September 4 in the hopes of avoiding a ban.

This talk has probably put another black mark against him, but Chan seems undeterred.