Observers and journalist groups reacted with indignation yesterday after Albert Ho Chun-yan reported that Beijing's liaison office had accused a Hong Kong newspaper of 'smearing' Beijing and the office in its election coverage.
Ho, the pan-democratic candidate in the chief executive election, told a Commercial Radio show that Beijing's representatives had complained directly to a top manager.
'[The officer] left a message: how could you publish things this way, smearing the liaison office and the central government?' Ho said.
'A boss of a newspaper called me, saying the liaison office called [his or her] secretary, which he had not experienced before.'
The South China Morning Post learned that the newspaper was the Hong Kong Economic Journal, of which Richard Li Tzar-kai, son of Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing, is a majority shareholder. The phone call was made to Li's secretary, and a message was left.
The caller apparently did not specify which story had angered him.
The newspaper's chief editor said he was not aware if Ho was referring to his paper in the morning programme. 'The editorial department did not receive any calls [from the liaison office],' said Chan King-cheung, adding that Li had not told him about the call or given him instructions on news coverage.