Mystery late-night caller comes forward, denies trying to pressure talk-show host
The former mainland official whose late-night phone call to Allen Lee Peng-fei prompted the radio host to quit says he was merely trying to 'catch up with an old friend'.
The row over claims that mainland pressure was brought to bear on the outspoken broadcaster took a new twist yesterday when the mystery caller identified himself and denied that his reference to Mr Lee's wife and daughter was meant to be intimidating.
'I did not say anything on the phone, not even hint anything,' said Cheng Shousan , a former deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. 'He has created this controversy all by himself.'
But Mr Lee dismissed the comments as a 'smokescreen' and maintained his assertion that Mr Cheng had called to exert pressure on him. He said the May 18 call - the last in a series of incidents - triggered his decision to quit Commercial Radio's Teacup in a Storm and his position as a deputy to the National People's Congress.
Mr Cheng, speaking to RTHK and later at a press conference in Beijing, said he had called Mr Lee to 'catch up with an old friend' and that Mr Lee had recognised him.
He said he mentioned Mr Lee's wife and daughter as a reminder of who he was, as he had met the couple at a fashion show hosted by Mr Lee's daughter.
