Third Hong Kong pan-democrat denied entry into Macau
Andy Yu Tak-po says he was detained for two hours as he entered Macau to help lead a tour group
Civic Party district councillor Andy Yu Tak-po was denied entry into Macau on Sunday morning, making him the third Hong Kong pan-democrat to face similar treatment ahead of Macau’s Legislative Assembly election on September 17.
Yu, a 25-year-old member of the Yau Tsim Mong district council, told the Post he was helping to lead a group of about 60 Hong Kong residents for a day tour of Macau, when he was detained by immigration officers for about two hours at the Taipa ferry terminal.
“We arrived at Taipa at about 10am, but I was kept in a room at the terminal until I was told to leave by ferry at 12.30pm,” Yu said.
He was asked to sign an entry refusal notification, which explained that “there are strong references that you intend to enter the Macau SAR to participate in certain activities which may jeopardise the public security or public order of the Macau SAR”.
Yu said he was angry because “the so-called reason was inconsistent with facts”.
“The trip was just for leisure – visiting tourist spots, having a buffet meal and watching a musical show ... in fact a Hong Kong pro-establishment councillor also led a very similar tour on Saturday,” Yu said. “I think my refusal of entry was related to the election of their legislature.”
Yu said he was allowed to enter Macau in the past, as he led similar trips and visited the former Portuguese enclave with friends as a tourist.
It’s unbelievable: Hong Kong pan-democrat denied entry to Macau
He apologised to the tour’s participants as they had to carry on without him.
On August 29, the Macau immigration also banned Democratic Party lawmaker Dr Helena Wong Pik-wan, who is also a lecturer of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, from entering the city to attend an annual event organised by the university.
A day later, NeoDemocrats district councillor Kwan Wing-yip was denied entry to Macau. Yip was travelling to the city for a family trip.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Civic Party expressed concern that there had been a number of Hong Kong pan-democrats denied entry by the Macau government recently.
The spokesman urged Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu to express their concerns with the Macau government and demand an explanation.
