A senior mainland official skirted involvement in the Albert Cheng King-hon affair last night, saying comment by outsiders was inappropriate. Yang Wenchang, Commissioner of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong, described the decision by Commercial Radio to terminate Cheng's contract as a matter for the people of Hong Kong. His remarks come a day after Xinhua published a commentary describing the station's decision as a 'responsible act'. 'Who is right and who is wrong - a judgment will come sooner or later,' Mr Yang said. 'Secondly, this is an affair of Hong Kong. Outsiders, including myself, had better remain tight-lipped about it,' he said. Mr Yang was speaking after attending an anniversary dinner at the Convention and Exhibition Centre celebrating Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. Mr Yang said: 'The Commercial Radio saga is a complicated one. I am not quite clear about it. This is an affair of the people of Hong Kong. 'Both sides [the employer and the employee] have their own reasons. One side said it wanted to protect the rule of law, [spirit of the law of contract], another said it wanted to protect press freedom.' But he said he still had confidence that Hong Kong's press freedom was being upheld. The Xinhua release commented on the negotiations between Cheng and Commercial Radio. 'Cheng ... did not honour his contract and refused to promise not to go off the air again ... as such, Commercial Radio should, of course, initiate a termination of contract,' the report said. The article said the controversy surrounding the departure of radio show hosts was a 'farce directed, produced and cast by themselves'.
