Former Philippine Supreme Court official who accused President Xi Jinping of crimes against humanity at International Criminal Court ‘held’ by Hong Kong immigration

A former Philippine official who accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of crimes against humanity was questioned by immigration officers in Hong Kong on Tuesday, sparking a furore.

Conchita Carpio-Morales, 78, was detained by officials when she arrived at Hong Kong International Airport. After questioning, the former ombudsman chief and retired Supreme Court associate justice chose to leave the city and flew back to Manila in the evening with her family.

She arrived in Hong Kong shortly before noon with family, and was taken to an interview room by immigration officers for secondary examination.

“I was disappointed not because I was not allowed entry but because I was deprived of the opportunity to see my grandchildren enjoy their vacation in Hong Kong,” she said back in the Philippine capital.

Morales said when she arrived in Hong Kong she was separated from her family and brought to a room.

“I was interrogated and then after I was brought to their detention room,” she told CNN.

Morales, who had arrived with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, said she was asked to sign papers in Tagalog but told officials she wanted an English version. But she said she refused to sign these because there were blanks on the paper and details missing. She also refused food and drink.

Former Philippine officials accuse Xi of crimes against humanity

She believed her detention was related to her complaint earlier this year to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.

“That was bullying. How would you call it if that’s not bullying?” she said to reporters.

But the incident would not deter her.

“I will be the same. I will be vocal and the same manner that I have been vocal before.”

Teddy Locsin, the foreign affairs secretary in the Philippines, tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: “Hong Kong port authorities have allowed her in, but she and her family have chosen to stay in airport with Department of Foreign Affairs people and take 6pm flight back to Manila.”

Her legal counsel Anne Marie Corominas was quoted by the Philippine media as saying Morales called her to say she had been “held” by immigration authorities.

“How is a 78-year-old former anti-corruption ombudswoman a ‘security threat’ in HK-China?” Corominas reportedly said.

Morales and former foreign affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario filed a complaint before the ICC in March against Xi for alleged crimes against humanity. They accused Xi and other Chinese officials of turning seven disputed reefs in the South China Sea into islands in a massive feat of engineering that caused extensive environmental damage and blocked large numbers of fishermen, including about 320,000 Filipinos, from their fishing grounds.

Immigration chief shoots down ‘conspiracy’ claims over visitor rejections

Under Hong Kong’s Immigration Ordinance, department officers are allowed to examine anyone upon arrival to verify his or her identity, assess any adverse history on their record and consider whether they meet immigration requirements, such as possession of a valid travel document.

The immigration authority was under the spotlight when it barred veteran British journalist Victor Mallet from entering Hong Kong as a tourist in November.

Mallet was earlier denied a renewal of his work visa after he hosted a talk at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) featuring separatist Andy Chan Ho-tin in August last year.

Chan was founder of the Hong Kong National Party, a group outlawed by the government in September on the grounds of national security.

Earlier this year, Director of Immigration Erick Tsang Kwok-wai took sole responsibility of all cases of entry denial, saying they were autonomous decisions and he did not have to report to the central government over the issue. He also shot down “conspiracy” claims over visitor rejections, insisting that officers followed the law and policy.

“Do not always assume there is a conspiracy behind the decisions of the department, or whether actions are linked to specific cases. We handle many cases daily and most go unnoticed,” Tsang said in January.

“Safeguarding national security is one of my job priorities.”

Last year, 54,195 tourists were barred from entering Hong Kong, compared to 49,033 in 2017.