Plan to offer sanctuary to HK journalists revived in US Senate

A plan to offer Hong Kong journalists sanctuary in the United States was revived yesterday when two senior lawmakers introduced legislation into the Senate.

Up to 2,000 journalists and immediate family members would be eligible for US visas under a bill put forward by Connie Mack and Joseph Lieberman, the co-chairs of Congress' Hong Kong caucus.

The bill is almost identical to an initiative launched in the House of Representatives this year by John Porter, another Hong Kong supporter.

Both sets of legislation would offer the 2,000 US visas over the next five years if journalists from the Hong Kong media could show that their safety was at risk or they were being harassed by authorities as a result of their work.

Mr Porter's legislation has languished since it was introduced, and the Congressman has given no indication he was pushing to have it sent to a House committee for serious consideration. But the introduction of a similar measure to the Senate - and one which is likely to be widely supported by legislators - would give renewed impetus to the initiative.

'If freedom of the press fails to survive in Hong Kong, how can we expect Hong Kong's other precious freedoms to survive?' Senator Mack said yesterday.