Macau denies it has entry blacklist
Hong Kong's secretary for security said yesterday that the government respected Macau's right to manage its own immigration controls and that he was assured there was no blacklist. His comment came as a photographer from this newspaper was denied entry to the city.
Pan-democrats lambasted security chief Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong for failing to stand up for Hong Kong people, noting that Mr Lee had only expressed 'concern' over the matter.
The debate was sparked by questions from Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, who noted that people affiliated with Hong Kong's democratic movement were being refused entry almost weekly.
Pan-democrats said such a policy seemed to have been in place since the Macau government decided to enact a national security law at the end of last year. 'Are they trying to exhibit the horrifying consequences of an Article 23?' said Lee Wing-tat.
The Civic Party's Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee said: 'Anyone can see ... these people have been denied entry because of their political opinions.'
In response, Ambrose Lee said: 'According to the Macau authorities, the immigration authorities there handled the cases in accordance with the regulations of the internal security law ... The immigration authorities of other places have the power to decide the entry or otherwise of Hong Kong residents.'
He said the freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong residents under the Basic Law had not been contradicted.
He added that he felt a little 'uncomfortable' when he first heard that Hongkongers had been denied entry, and spoke to his Macau counterpart, Cheong Kuoc-va.
'So we did express concern, as well as seek an understanding of the situation,' he said. He added that he was told there was no blacklist.
When pressed on why he did not express anything more than 'concern', Mr Lee said: 'Whether we are satisfied or not, we still have to respect another jurisdiction's decisions according to the law.'
Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun said: 'One third of a city's lawmakers - without being thieves, money launderers or prostitutes - are for no reason but political reasons ... denied entry, and our government says we still 'respect' the other side?'
In December, nine pan-democrat lawmakers planning to protest against national security legislation were turned away from Macau.
Yesterday, Post photographer Felix Wong Chi-keung was denied entry to cover the trial of disgraced minister Ao Man-long. Internal security laws were cited as the reason.
