Hong Kong politician barred from Macau ahead of 18th handover anniversary over security concerns

The vice-chairman of Hong Kong centrist political party Third Side was refused entry to Macau on the eve of the anniversary of the former Portuguese enclave’s handover to Chinese rule.

Casper Wong Chun-long, who was travelling with five business partners on Tuesday morning to attend a fintech forum at the casino hub, was stopped on arrival by immigration officers.

His business partners were let through, but Wong was taken to a room for questioning and was eventually turned away on grounds, according to a document presented to him, that “there are strong references that you intend to enter [Macau] to participate in certain activities which may jeopardise the public security or public order of [Macau}”.

Wong, who last visited the city in September, said he was puzzled by the Macau authorities’ decision, as Third Side was a moderate political party that supported Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor during the Hong Kong chief executive election in March.

Speaking to the press at the ferry terminal on his return to Hong Kong, Wong said: “I and Third Side walk the middle of the road. If we are regarded as someone or a group that could cause a threat to the government, we doubt if the central government or the Macau government is sincere when it says it wants to keep contact with groups with different political views.”

Third Side was co-founded by former Democratic Party legislator Tik Chi-yuen.