Pro-Beijing evening newspaper to close

Hong Kong's last evening newspaper, the Chinese-language New Evening Post, will close before the end of the month.

Management of the pro-Beijing paper would not confirm the date, but staff said they had been told they would be transferred to work for another China-backed paper.

The 46-year-old paper will be the sixth newspaper to fold in less than two years. Staff believe the New Evening Post is not being closed for commercial reasons.

'It's obviously a Beijing decision. We are the only evening paper left in town and we have powerful backing from China. Why do we have to close?' asked an editorial staff member. A colleague said the number of copies sold had increased since the Sing Tao Evening Post closed last December.

Like the other pro-China newspapers, the evening paper is not a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Editorial staff at Ta Kung Pao confirmed they would absorb some of the staff but had no idea how many positions they could offer.