Philippines lifts entry ban on nine Hong Kong journalists
Manila says the nine names were struck off its blacklist because they did not put the president through another bout of aggressive questioning
The Philippines has lifted an entry ban against nine Hong Kong journalists who shouted questions at President Benigno Aquino last year, a government spokeswoman said yesterday after a media backlash.
The journalists were expelled from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Indonesia last year after they were accused of heckling Aquino over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis that left eight Hong Kong residents dead.
The entry ban came to light only last week, when one of the journalists was turned away at Manila airport.
Philippine Immigration Bureau spokeswoman Elaine Tan said yesterday that the ban was lifted because Aquino had not faced another bout of aggressive questioning at the Apec summit in Beijing this month.
"After a re-evaluation, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency said they are no longer considered as threats and the ban was lifted effective [on Tuesday]," she said.
The journalists were on the blacklist because they were a "threat to public safety" after "acts committed against the president" at the Bali summit.