Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet allowed back into Hong Kong for seven days only – even though British tourists can stay for six months
Mallet returned from Bangkok on Sunday night and was understood to have been questioned at immigration
The British journalist at the centre of a political storm after he was denied a working visa by the Hong Kong government has been given seven days to leave the city.
Victor Mallet, Asia news editor for the Financial Times, will be allowed to stay for one more week on a visitor’s visa, even though British tourists can remain for up to six months – a decision slammed by opposition politicians and welcomed by their pro-establishment counterparts.
Mallet was grilled by immigration officers on his return to the city from Thailand on Sunday before being allowed to enter, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told the Post.
This came as business leaders and global media groups raised concerns about the government’s “worrying” move, warning it could damage Hong Kong’s reputation and competitiveness on the world stage.
While the government offered no reason for first rejecting Mallet’s visa renewal application last week, it has been widely linked to his role as acting president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), where he chaired a pro-independence talk by Hong Kong National Party convenor Andy Chan Ho-tin in August, despite strong objections from the city’s government and Beijing.