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Stella Lee

Police yesterday apologised for stopping a Cable TV crewman  from taking shots of a demonstration outside the central government liaison office on Monday.

The broadcaster said the superintendent involved in the incident had overreacted.

Western divisional commander Superintendent Kevin Li Chiu-yin  stopped the Cable TV staff member from filming the protest by the April Fifth Action Group outside the liaison office in Western on Monday on the grounds that he seemed to be only a driver, and failed to produce a press card.

Speaking on the Commercial Radio programme Teacup in a Storm yesterday, Cable TV vice-president for news and sport Ronald Chiu Ying-chun  said every member of their news crews, including drivers, had been trained and were required to help with news coverage.

He said the incident was regrettable and the action of the police was unacceptable.

On  the same programme, police spokesman Chief Superintendent Alfred Ma Wai-luk  said he had discussed the incident with Mr Li and found  his action  had been based on a misunderstanding about handling the media.

'It seems that Li Chiu-yin's stopping [of the crew member] was an overreaction. Our principle is to facilitate press reporting activities at the scene,' he said.

Mr Ma said the use of a press card was to help identify journalists. Everyone  was free to carry out legal activities in a public place.

'We feel sorry about the incident,' Mr Ma said, adding that it could have been handled better.

Hong Kong News Executives' Association chairwoman May Chan Suk-mei,  who also spoke on the programme,  said she did not accept Mr Ma's statement that police 'could have done better'  as the remark implied the force had done nothing wrong.

She requested a meeting with Police Commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai  to discuss the incident and a clash  early last Friday when officers were accused of removing journalists before an operation to clear demonstrators outside the Central Government Offices.

Spokesman for the Hong Kong Journalists' Association, Mak Yin-ting, said the two incidents raised doubts over how  well the police understood  human rights and press freedom.



Police apologise for blocking TV staffer  at April Fifth protest