New boss takes helm at under-fire Hong Kong public broadcaster – and is greeted with union protest, word of resignations
- Patrick Li, former deputy secretary for home affairs, replaces veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing, who left six months before his contract ended
- A source at RTHK says Li’s first day was marked by the resignation of the head of the station’s public and current affairs section, Doris Wong
Bureaucrat Patrick Li Pak-chuen took the helm of Hong Kong’s trouble-plagued RTHK on Monday, but was greeted with news of the resignations of at least three senior employees and protests by its staff union over concerns about the public broadcaster’s editorial independence.
Li, who replaced veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing, vowed to uphold editorial autonomy, but also stressed there was a need to fulfil the broadcaster’s responsibilities when he met the media on Monday morning.
A source at RTHK said Li’s first day was marked by the resignation of the head of the station’s public and current affairs section, Doris Wong Lok-har.
Her resignation on Monday followed that of executive producers Liu Wai-ling and Fong Hiu-shan who quit last month ahead of a deadline for civil servants to sign a declaration pledging allegiance to the city and its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
The source said Wong explained in a meeting with colleagues in the section on Monday evening that she was not happy with government findings on RTHK released in a report last month.