Hong Kong Falls 4 Points in Annual World Press Freedom Index

Press freedom in Hong Kong took a blow this year, falling four points in Reporters Without Borders’ annual report.

The World Press Freedom Index measures “the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information.”

[Mak Yin-ting, Chairwoman of Hong Kong Journalist Association]:
“The deterioration of press freedom is very serious now. It has reached a critical point. It’s a significant time now to determine if Hong Kong is an independent place or if it’s turning into a place like mainland China’s lack of freedom.”

Hong Kong TV news chief quits over Jiang Zemin death report

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong television station news chief and his deputy have resigned over an erroneous report that former Chinese president Jiang Zemin had died, the broadcaster said Tuesday.

Asia Television Ltd (ATV), one of two free-to-view broadcasters in the self-governed Chinese city, had cited unspecified sources on July 6 to report that the 85-year-old grandee had died.

It apologised for the error the following day, after China state media called the report “pure rumour”. Jiang reportedly still wields significant power in the Communist Party’s inner sanctum.

Hong Kong Journalists’ Association Says Bad year of 2011: “The one-country element is increasingly overriding two systems”

Freedom of expression in Hong Kong, once home to a freewheeling and independent media, has deteriorated in the past year, a journalists’ group has said.

The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association said the year ending June 2011 had been a bad one for press freedom in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under an agreement aimed at protecting existing freedoms.

“The one-country element is increasingly overriding two systems in the way that Hong Kong is governed,” the HKJA said in a statement, referring to the “One Country, Two Systems” concept which underpinned the change of sovereignty.

Hong Kong Phoenix TV’s Famous Talker Dou Wentao ‘Disappeared’ Suddenly

Dou Wentao, a program host in the Phoenix TV, recently admitted that Phoenix TV is part of the system of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

He ‘disappeared’ after making the foregoing remarks. Phoenix denied it on its own TV for 4 consecutive days, emphasizing that it is only a listed Hong Kong company. The saying was criticized as biting the bullet. What system does Phoenix TV belong to then?

In Dou Wentao’s program, when chatting with guests Xu Zidong and Liang Wendao on the counterfeit issues in China, Dou suddenly said that Phoenix TV belongs to the CCP’s system. Xu then tried to help him by asking a question, but Dou did not seem to understand but continued to affirm his comments.

Hong Kong Media’s Credibility Declines, Survey Says

HONG KONG—The credibility of media here has been decaying for the last decade, a recent survey indicates. The probable cause? Self-censorship.

The fact comes from the “Credibility of Hong Kong Media” research report produced by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which indicates a steady decline in the credibility of Hong Kong media for the past 13 years.

The interpretation comes from Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), Mak Yin-ting, who believes the reason is self-censorship, and that in this the media has only itself to blame.

Chinese Nobel Prize Winner Supporters Rally on Christmas in Hong Kong

NTD TV, Dec. 25, 2010 –

A group of people marched in Hong Kong to demand the Chinese regime release jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo on Saturday (December 25), the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment.

Holding banners reading ‘Free Liu Xiaobo’ and dressed in Christmas costumes, some 30 supporters gathered at a police station and made their way to the communist party liaison office.

Under heavy police presence, the demonstrators chanted “Support Charter 08” and called for the release of Liu and other “prisoners of conscience.”

Bird Flu Case Pops Up in Hong Kong: First in Seven Years

By Jack Phillips, Epoch Times Staff, Nov 21, 2010 –

Bird flu has seemingly disappeared from the media spotlight over the past several years but a case was diagnosed in Hong Kong on Thursday, according to the Hong Kong Department of Heatlh.

A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with influenza A (H5N1), developing a fever and a productive cough—the first diagnosis in seven years.

As a result, Hong Kong raised its alert level to “serious.”

Hong Kong Businesspeople’s Recent Published Magazine Confiscated by Authorities in South China

Radio Free Asia, Sep. 21, 2010-

HONG KONG— Authorities in the southern Chinese boom town of Shenzhen have confiscated the entire first issue of a recently launched magazine which details the dangers of investing in the mainland, according to the publication’s disgruntled co-founder.

Xue Baoren, who has campaigned for the rights of investors in mainland China since a legal dispute with Shenzhen officials over a factory he leased, said the printing operations of Investments and Pitfalls magazine has been moved to his hometown of Hong Kong, where it will be distributed free of charge.

“I had the magazine printed [in May] at a factory in Shenzhen, and then I had planned to have it shipped to Hong Kong,” Xue said. “It was supposed to arrive on Aug. 27 but it was confiscated by the authorities in Shenzhen.”

Leak of nuclear plant in southern China: Officials are criticized for cover up

Radio Free Asia, 2010-06-15 –

HONG KONG— The Daya Bay nuclear power plant in southern China had a “very small leakage” from a fuel rod that has been contained, Hong Kong’s leading electricity supplier, CLP Holdings Ltd., said in a statement, but activists say the firm should have revealed the incident sooner.

A “small increase” in radioactive substances was detected in cooling water at the plant’s Unit 2 on May 23, CLP said in a statement. “The reactor cooling water is sealed in completely and isolated from the external environment, thus causing no impact to the public.”

Operations at the power plant were unaffected and a task force of nuclear experts had been formed to investigate the situation, CLP said.

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station is located about 50 kms (30 miles) from the center of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Security Bureau also said a fuel rod at the Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station experienced a “very small leakage” that increased radioactivity levels slightly in the nuclear reactor’s cooling water on May 23, said in a statement.

The leak was “completely quarantined and, therefore, had no impact on the public,” the bureau said.
Chairman of Hong Kong’s Safety Advisory Committee Raymond Ho Chung Tai said in an interview Tuesday that the danger to the public is negligible.

“This is only a minor incident. If we report such a minor incident, it will only trigger public panic,” he said.

But party opposition members and experts were not as dismissive.

Cover up?

Albert Lai, vice chairman of Hong Kong’s Civic Party who has closely watched the development of the Daya Bay nuclear plant for more than a decade, urged the government and CLP to explain why the public was not informed about the incident until it was first reported by the media.

“[The members of the Hong Kong Safety Committee] should play a surveillance role and report to the Hong Kong government. If they are reporting their findings to the government, why didn’t the government report them to the public?” Lai questioned.

“This incident happened two weeks ago and obviously someone tried to cover it up.”

Members of the Hong Kong Democratic Party said they will pursue the matter with the government, while members of the pro-China Democratic People’s Party protested Tuesday in front of CLP headquarters on Hong Kong Island to express their anger over the cover-up.

Wan Sek Luen Laurie, managing director of Enviro-Chem Engineering Laboratory Co. Ltd, and member of the Daya Nuclear Power Station Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee, said CLP is misleading the public.

He said the statement the company issued that “the level of radioactivity has stabilized over the last two weeks since [the event], without material change” indicates that the fuel rod is still leaking.

“Neutrons cannot be totally sealed. It can go through walls and even the earth. It is the question of the degree of enrichment…Of course, some concrete walls can absorb radiation, but some of are leaking [to the surrounding air] already,” Wan Sek Luen Laurie said.

“It can be said that some of the workers in the plant have been exposed to different levels of radiation. The fuel, when it makes contact with air, becomes uranium hydride, which can detonate in room temperature. It is very dangerous.”

Kok Wai Cheah, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University said that though the fuel rod may only release a very small amount of radiation, the plant should follow international operating procedures by shutting down and replacing the rod.

“The crack [in the fuel rod] may be very small. But if the crack grows larger, the level of radiation will be higher. That means radiation within the reinforced concrete structure will also be higher. If anyone makes contact with it, their health will be in serious danger,” Kok Wai Cheah said.

Cheah warned that if the leaking radiation makes contact with the third external layer of concrete containment, it will endanger the lives of the public.

Citizens uninformed

Local citizens appear to be uninformed of the potential hazards to their health.

A resident in O-lang village near Daya Bay said people there knew very little about the leakage.

“We can sometimes find information online. Otherwise, we know nothing about the incident,” the resident said.

The International Atomic Developmental Authority said in an email that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has seen media accounts reporting the detection of radioactivity in the cooling water at Daya Bay nuclear power plant’s Unit 2 reactor.

But the IAEA said it had received no official notification of the incident, nor did it expect to if the incident was as minor as news reports suggested.

The Daya Bay plant opened in 1994 to wide criticism because of its proximity to Hong Kong’s city center. More than 1 million people signed a petition opposing the plant during its construction.

– Radio Free Asia

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politician in a rare attack on China over Tiananmen massacre

By Tom Mitchell and Gideon Rachman in Hong Kong, The Financial Times, June 5 2010 –

The founder of Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing political party has spoken out against the Chinese government in a rare criticism of the brutal military crackdown that squashed demonstrations in 1989.

Tsang Yok-sing is usually one of the Chinese communist party’s staunchest defenders in Hong Kong , and his Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong – known as DAB – provides an important block of loyalist support in the territory’s legislature.

But in unprecedented remarks, Mr Tsang occasionally struggled to contain his emotions as he recalled the bloody events in China’s capital 21 years ago. “Everyone was shocked. If anything, being pro-Beijing we thought we understood the [Chinese] government so well,” he told the Financial Times. “We never believed a government we so trusted would turn its troops against the people.”

Mr Tsang, who also serves as president of the territory’s legislature, was speaking hours before more than 150,000 people gathered to mark the 21st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre at an annual candlelight vigil.

Governed as a largely autonomous special administrative region where civil freedoms are still protected, Hong Kong is the only place in the People’s Republic of China where the victims of Tiananmen are openly mourned . Last year the memoirs of Zhao Ziyang , the former party general secretary who opposed the bloody crackdown on student protesters in 1989, were published posthumously in Hong Kong.

Bao Pu, who edited Zhao’s memoirs, said yesterday that he had obtained a rival account of Tiananmen penned by Li Peng, Mr Zhao’s hard-line adversary. In his account, Mr Li stands by the government’s decision to crush the mass protests by ordering the People’s Liberation Army to launch a violent assault.

Mr Tsang was the principal at a “patriotic” school in Hong Kong as the Tiananmen Square protests gathered pace in the spring of 1989. The massacre shocked the schools’ teachers and students who, Mr Tsang remembered, wept at the news. “It is difficult, it is difficult,” he said. “If you asked me has time changed these emotions we had right after the event, I would say no.”

“Long long ago I told myself the best way to commemorate June 4 – and make sure those who sacrificed their lives did not do so in vain – is to do what I can to help my country, within Hong Kong, to become more liberal-democratic,” Mr Tsang added……. (more details from The Financial Times)

(Photos) 150,000 Chinese gathered in Hong Kong Marking the 21st anniversary of Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre

On June 4, 2010, more than 150,000 people gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park marking the 21st anniversary of Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre.

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre (1)

Hong Kong vigil 2010 for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre (2)

Hong Kong vigil 2010 for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre (3)

On the way to Victoria Park vigil for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

Hong Kong vigil 2010 in Victoria Park for June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre

(Photos credit to The Epochtimes)

Hong Kong deports creator of Beijing Tiananmen Square Massacre Statue

DPA, via earthtimes.org, June 2, 2010-

Hong Kong – The creator of a statue made to commemorate this week’s anniversary of the deadly 1989 government crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing has been deported from Hong Kong, a legislator said Wednesday.

New Zealand national Chen Weiming flew to Hong Kong Tuesday to inspect his Goddess of Democracy statue, one of two statues seized by police during weekend demonstrations in the former British colony.

However, Democratic Party legislator James To, who went to meet Chen at Hong Kong’s airport, said US resident Chen was held overnight by immigration officials and then deported.

To accused the Hong Kong government and police of trying to “suppress the June 4 remembrance activities.”

Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee refused to comment on Chen’s case but told the government-run radio station RTHK that immigration authorities “comply fully with the law” when barring entry.

He dismissed complaints of political persecution against activists commemorating the June 4, 1989, crackdown, pointing out police had returned the two statues.

Police triggered a storm of protest by confiscating the two replicas of the Goddess of Democracy, a statue erected by students in Beijing during the 1989 protests at Tiananmen Square.

The Danish sculptor of another statue commemorating the protests has twice been refused entry to Hong Kong before previous anniversaries.

Hong Kong, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and has political freedoms denied to people elsewhere in China, is the only place in China where the June 4 anniversary is commemorated.

– DPA

Related:
– Hong Kong Police Confiscate 2 “Goddess of Democracy” Statues, Arrest 13 Chinese Activists

Hong Kong Police Confiscate 2 “Goddess of Democracy” Statues, Arrest 13 Chinese Activists

By Lin Yi & Tan Hohua, Epoch Times staff, May 31, 2010-

Police forcefully take away Alliance Deputy Chair Richard Choi Yiu-cheong. (Pan Zaishu/Epoch Times Staff)

Hong Kong—As preparations mount for commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Hong Kong, police confiscated two replicas of the iconic “Goddess of Democracy” statue and detained over a dozen activists over the weekend. The moves have raised concerns over infringements of free expression in the territory.

Hong Kong police detained 13 prodemocracy activists and confiscated a replica of the statue on Saturday May, 29. According to The Standard, when two activists sought to place a second replica of the statue at the same location on Sunday, they were again detained and the figurine confiscated.

Richard Tsoi, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, told The Epoch Times that police arrested him and 12 other activists Saturday, but had not filed any charges.

“There is an increasing level of political censorship on the commemoration of the June 4 [killings],” said Tsoi. “The Alliance will never compromise. We will have the candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on time at 8 p.m. on June 4.”…… (more details from The Epochtimes)

(Photos) Hong Kong Parade Protests the June 4 Beijing Tiananmen Killing

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

Parade in Hong Kong Protests Beijing Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 (The Epochtimes)

March in Hong Kong’s Torrential Rain to Commemorate June 4 Beijing Tiananmen Square Massacre

DPA, via earthtimes.org, May 30, 2010-

Hong Kong – Hundreds of people took part in an annual march in Hong Kong Sunday to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing.

Police estimated that about 800 people took part in the march from Victoria Park to Hong Kong’s Central Government Offices although organisers claimed the turnout was much higher.

The marchers braved torrential rain as they shouted slogans and held up banners calling on China to reverse its verdict on the pro-democracy activists who died in the crackdown on June 4, 1989.

Hong Kong, a former British colony which reverted to Chinese rule in 1989 under a ‘one country two systems’ arrangement, is the only place on Chinese soil where the killings are publicly commemorated.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to join a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on Friday evening, the city’s main annual event to mark the massacre’s anniversary.

On Saturday, police detained 13 activists and confiscated a replica statue of the Goddess of Democracy when the activists staged an unauthorised anniversary protest at a shopping mall.

– by DPA

The hidden hand of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong

By J. Michael Cole, STAFF REPORTER, The Taipei Times, Taiwan –

Ever since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in 1921, Hong Kong has consistently been regarded as a threat and opportunity by party leaders. First as a British colony until retrocession in 1997 and then as part of the “one country, two systems,” the CCP views the territory as a potential springboard from which foreign powers could undermine the authorities on the mainland.

Simultaneously, Hong Kong was the main platform where both the British and Chinese governments could conduct dialogue and, as 1997 approached, a source of much-needed capital and an instrument to test special administrative rule.

This, and much more, is the focus of former Hong Kong legislator Christine Loh’s (陸恭蕙) fascinating Underground Front. The amount of information contained in her well-researched book makes it an extremely useful tool to understand the CCP’s policies in Hong Kong.

Loh walks us through what she sees as the six main phases of CCP relations with Hong Kong: early Marxism in Hong Kong; the early years of CCP rule in China; the Cultural Revolution; the Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) era; the post-Tiananmen Square Massacre era; and the first decade after retrocession.

Throughout this time — and even after Hong Kong became a special administrative region — we see the CCP acting as if it were a criminal organization forced to remain underground. Part of this, we learn, is the result of Maoism’s lack of mass appeal in Hong Kong, which since the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 had been ideologically shaped by the British.

Though the seeds of leftist thought were sown in Hong Kong, mostly via trade unions, Beijing was forced to show restraint lest its actions provoke a strong response from London. The exile of more than 1 million Chinese to Hong Kong — including supporters of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), industrialists, and ordinary Chinese who had grown tired of political repression — also created a population stratum that was unreceptive to Maoism.

Google drops Chinese name “Gu Ge” (photos)

Google has taken another action today to express its willingness of keeping  distance with the Chinese censors: drops the Chinese name “Gu Ge” from the search engine logo and uses Google “Hong Kong” instead on its forwarded http://www.google.com.hk website.

Google started using the Chinese name “Gu Ge” on its Chinese website Google.cn from 2006 since it entered the China market, and has forwarded it to its Hong Kong website http://www.google.com.hk since last week, when it decided not to cooperate with the Chinese censor.

Here’s a screenshot of the website logo which you will see if you type into your browser the Google’s domain name in China, google.cn:

Google dropped Chinese name "Gu Ge" from its Hong Kong website logo and uses Google "hong Kong" instead.

Also the following photo shows the old “Gu Ge” logo which has been dropped by Google:

Old "Gu Ge" logo that was used by Google in China

Video highlight (2): Shen Yun show 2010

Shen Yun, a show that has been called by professionals as “State of the arts”, “mind-blowing”, ”first class”, “the best”, “the top”,  “perfection”,  “out of the world” and “beyond all-beyond”, now is traveling in about 20 countries, 100 cities around the world.

Show schedules can be found from official website: http://shenyunperformingarts.org/

Shen Yun show featuring:
– strong expressive technique of classical Chinese dance
– stunning costumes
– 3D digital backdrops
– live orchestra

More Shen Yun videos
http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/multimedia/video

Related:
– Video highlight (1): Shen Yun show 2010
– Review (video): Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Chinese Dance and Music Show
– Collection of Shen Yun 2010 Show Promotion Videos (HD)

Video highlight (1): Shen Yun show 2010

Shen Yun, a classical Chinese dance and music show that has been called by professionals as “State of the arts”, “mind-blowing”, “first class”, “the best”, “the top”,  “perfection”,  “out of the world” and “beyond all-beyond”, now is traveling in about 20 countries, 100 cities around the world.

Shen Yun Show schedules can be found from official website: http://shenyunperformingarts.org/

 

Shen Yun show featuring:
– strong expressive technique of classical Chinese dance
– stunning costumes
– 3D digital backdrops
– live orchestra

More Shen Yun videos
http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/multimedia/video

Related:
– Video highlight (2): Shen Yun show 2010
– Collection of Shen Yun 2010 Show Promotion Videos (HD)
– Review (video): Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Chinese Dance and Music Show
– Shen Yun Review, by Senior Manager for the Grammy Awards, Feb 5, 2010

One more sign that Hong Kong is bowing to China’s mandarins

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 1, 2010-

In New York last month to promote the West Kowloon Cultural District development, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang declared that the territory was poised to become “Asia’s cultural hub.” Earlier this week, Hong Kongers got a taste of the kind of “culture” they can expect.

Sunday was to be the triumphant closing of New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts‘ seven-show, sold-out Hong Kong tour. Instead, the curtains at Lyric Theatre remained closed. Just two days before the company was to embark on its trip, six “core production team members” were denied work visas, including the stage manager and a lighting engineer.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department has remained silent on the matter, saying only that it doesn’t comment on individual cases. But according to Shen Yun officials, government authorities felt that these crew members were locally replaceable. So much for pro-competition policies. Shen Yun promptly refused the advice and, in a show of defiant solidarity, instead canceled the tour.

Since then, Shen Yun and its Hong Kong co-organizers have staged protests and press conferences, and are even mulling a lawsuit. They say the visa matter was just “a pretext”—the implication being that the decision came from Beijing, motivated by a condemnation of Shen Yun’s dance program, which includes depictions of traditional Chinese tales but also “events in present-day China, such as the story of Falun Gong.”

In fact, “the story of Falun Gong” is central to Shen Yun‘s mission. Based in upstate New York, the company shares an address with the Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, a high school based on “the guiding principles of Falun Dafa”—another name for Falun Gong. More than 70% of the dancers listed on Shen Yun’s Web site are graduates of Fei Tian.

The group performs regularly in the U.S. and Canada and has toured around the world, including Japan, Korea and Taiwan, but has never danced in Hong Kong. This was the company’s first opportunity to bring their show to China’s doorstep, and it appears the Chinese government balked. Asked company manager and choreographer Vina Lee, “Is our show really scaring somebody?”

But this isn’t about a dance show. And we don’t have to be fans of Shen Yun or advocates of Falun Gong to find this troubling. Hong Kong’s ambition to become a cultural center is commendable, but one of the keystones to a vibrant arts community is the freedom to express its creativity, even at the risk of provoking the sensitivities of the politicians among the audience. The Shen Yun case suggests that Hong Kong still lacks the capacity to resist political pressures from Beijing. And this drama may just be the opening act.

– Wall Street Journal

Shen Yun Show’s Hong Kong Cancellation Causes Outcry

NTD TV, Jan 29, 2010-

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts had scheduled seven shows in Hong Kong, from January 27 to 31. And all the tickets were sold out. But after Hong Kong’s Immigration Department denied the visas for some of the technical staff, the show had to be cancelled last minute.

Hong Kong resident Mr. Yuen was looking forward to seeing Shen Yun after reading magazine articles about it. He says he wants his government to explain why they denied the visas.

[Mr. Yuen, Hong Kong Resident]:
“This show is popular worldwide and attractive, yet we could not see our Chinese performance in our own Hong Kong, [or in] mainland [China]. I feel baffled.”

Another member of the public accused the Hong Kong government of bowing to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.

[Mr. Chen, Hong Kong Resident]:
“Now the Hong Kong government is owned by the CCP. It’s a puppet controlled by a string behind it. I felt it’s most unfortunate that we cannot see the show. Hong Kong people are very unfortunate. Why can’t we see this world-class show?”

Across the Taiwan Strait, the President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy says Hong Kong has a history of bowing to the Chinese regime. He says the visa denials will bring damage to Hong Kong’s international image.

[Lin Wen-Cheng, President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy]:
“Such a decision to cancel a cultural event is very disappointing. For Hong Kong, it will have a negative impact on its image internationally, as well as bring harm to Hong Kong people’s freedom of speech.”

Taiwan political commentator Lin Bao-hua also believes the Chinese regime is responsible for the visa denials.

[Lin Bao-hua, Taiwan Political Commentator]:
“Without the directives from Beijing, the Hong Kong government would not do such a thing. Therefore this incident in itself shows that Hong Kong’s position in the ‘one country two party’ system is wavering more and more.”

Chinese authorities have tried to stop Shen Yun’s performances in many cities around the world. One case made headlines in 2008 when a cultural department official in Linkoping, Sweden received a threatening phone call from a representative of the Chinese Embassy. The Embassy told the Swedish official to either cancel the Shen Yun shows or their countries’ relationship would be affected.

In light of that, Swedish Parliament Member Cecilia Wigström spoke about the Shen Yun incident in Hong Kong.

[Cecilia Wigström, Swedish MP]:
“This also raises questions about freedom in Hong Kong. It’s very important for the people living in Hong Kong—I know that they have bravely many times really fought for their rights—to uphold their freedoms also after Hong Kong was reunited with China. And I think it’s very important that the Hong Kong people know that we in other countries support their continued, obviously their need for a continued struggle to uphold their rights.”

– NTD TV

A list of the measures taken by Hong Kong government to persecute human rights

(excerpt) Theresa Chu, human rights lawyer (Taiwan),Via The Epochtimes, Jan 27, 2010-

……

(excerpt) Since the CCP took over Mainland China in mid-last century, the regime had been treating anyone who raises a dissenting voice as its enemy and issues strict entry denial orders against them, especially during “sensitive periods.” Those targeted include Falun Gong practitioners, civil rights activists and any perceived dissidents, and now this list apparently includes performing arts groups. The CCP is blatantly sabotaging the “One country, two system” policy that it agreed to, as well as Chinese and Non-Chinese people’s freedom of speech, expression and religion. It is not an exaggeration to call the Hong Kong Immigration Department, who assists the CCP to abuse human rights, “Hong Kong’s woe.”

Below is a list of the measures the Hong Kong Immigration Department has been taking to persecute human rights.

1. “Rather wrongfully kill 100 people than letting a single one escape. Better safe than sorry.” It has happened too often that common Taiwanese or Western citizens who happen to have the same name as Falun Gong practitioners or dissidents are refused visa or denied entry to Hong Kong during the so-called “sensitive periods,” regardless of what evidence they provide to identify themselves. The Hong Kong police have admitted that these people were denied simply on the basis of their names. Afterwards the victims are often seen emotionally condemning the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s maltreatment at press conferences.

2. “A disguised means to refuse a visa – hold the application until it’s too late.” Regardless of how early the application was submitted and how complete the supplied supporting documentation was, the Immigration Department holds it for a month or longer without granting or denying the visa, leaving the applicant in a fog of uncertainty about their trips. Then, three or five days before the scheduled departure, the Immigration Department will typically demand more documentation such as more identification or documentation of assets, in order to make the applicant miss the departure time and the activity time in Hong Kong. Some applicants would finally get their visa after the activity date, some would get their visa on the activity date, but in either case the effect was the same as a visa refusal. Some applicants were still refused after supplying more than the necessary personal information, in addition to suffering the financial loss of airline tickets and hotel expenses.

3. “No boarding.” If the Immigration Department realized it had “mistakenly” given out visa to a blacklisted person, it would inform the airlines to stop the person from boarding the airplane. This has happened on Taiwan Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways. For example, the latter had assisted the Immigration Department in 2007 to identify Falun Gong practitioners in the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, who were ready to board its flight, showing the practitioners the notice from the Immigration Department to stop them from boarding. An e-mail in this context has been kept by the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association as evidence in future legal actions. There are 28 such documented cases concerning Falun Gong practitioners.

4.”No unboarding (meaning if they identify you as being on the plane and flying to Hong Kong, they will not let you get off the plane, when you arrive in Hong Kong)” If the Hong Kong Immigration Department has identified Falun Gong practitioners among the passengers flying into Hong Kong, then it will have them kept on the aircraft until it’s boarded by Hong Kong police, who would then follow the “collective entry denial or deportation” procedures to send them out of Hong Kong. There are more than 30 documented cases regarding Falun Gong practitioners in this category. Please be alarmed that these people were identified before arriving at the Hong Kong border, which indicates that a blacklist is obviously in existence and being referenced.

Besides the measures listed above, for six years, there are at least 1,200 Falun Gong practitioners who have been refused visas or denied entry at Hong Kong’s border. The US Congressional Human Rights Caucus held a round table meeting titled “Hong Kong vs. Falun Gong” in August 2007 after reviewing the victims’ testimonies, photos and medical evidences. During the meeting Falun Gong practitioners gave personal accounts about the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s human rights abuses.

This time, the Hong Kong Immigration Department has once again played its old trick of delaying and refusing visas for Shen Yun crew members, with the obvious intention of not letting Shen Yun perform in Hong Kong.

In the two years prior to this incident, the CCP has used its consulates and spies around the world at least seven times in an attempt to sabotage and interfere with Shen Yun’s shows. There is no doubt that the CCP is behind the puppet Hong Kong authorities’ disgraceful conduct.

The people of Hong Kong should understand that the CCP is stopping Shen Yun Performing Arts’ performances in Hong Kong at the cost of incurring Hong Kong’s libel law ruling! Hong Kong people should condemn its government for degrading morality in order to execute the CCP’s orders!

……

– From the Epochtimes

News Analysis: Hong Kong Visa Denial Reflects Fragility of Freedom

By Heng He, Epoch Times Staff, Jan. 26, 2010-

The struggle to define China’s culture recently took center stage in a denial of visa applications to enter Hong Kong, revealing both how fragile Hong Kong’s freedoms have become and how fragile the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers its hold on the hearts of the people of China.

Beginning Jan. 27, New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was scheduled to give seven sold-out shows in Hong Kong—the company’s first appearance in mainland China. The company, which says its performances seek to revive China’s traditional culture, was forced to cancel the shows when at the last minute the Hong Kong government refused to give visas to seven key production staff.

Another Shanghai

Whether this refusal violated Hong Kong’s laws, it certainly violated Hong Kong’s interests and its proud ethos of being a free city where laws are even-handedly administered. Hong Kong seems to be well on the way to becoming another Shanghai, a fate that I once thought would fall upon Hong Kong almost immediately after its hand over in 1997 to the Chinese regime.

Before 1949, Shanghai was one of the most prosperous cities in the Far East. After becoming one of China’s five open ports, Shanghai had become the center of finance, heavy and light industries, retailing, education, and entertainment in China. There was a time that the most successful businesses stayed in Shanghai, while those who found it hard to do business in Shanghai went to Hong Kong.

When the communists took over, however, business in Shanghai nose-dived and Shanghai lost her attraction to the world. In the meantime, Hong Kong took on the role Shanghai had played as a center of business and finally became one of the four Asian tigers. With the opening of China’s economy, Shanghai once more became China’s center for commerce, but without the freedom it had enjoyed before 1949.

I had expected that upon Hong Kong’s hand over, the regime would interfere with Hong Kong’s business and try to make Hong Kong more like the other cities of mainland China. Without freedom, Hong Kong is just another Shanghai, no matter how well the economy is developed. It has been 12 years since the hand over, and I hadn’t expected to see a free Hong Kong to survive for more than five years.

Example for Taiwan

Several factors have so far helped Hong Kong avoid being absorbed by the regime.

As one condition for the hand over, the regime had proposed not to make any changes to the One Country-Two Systems policy for 50 years. This proposal was not necessary—Hong Kong would have been handed over whether or not such a promise was made. The regime did so with an eye on Taiwan. It wanted to reassure the people and politicians of Taiwan that they should not be worried about a change in lifestyle once the island was unified with the mainland. So long as the regime believed that it still needed to persuade Taiwan, Hong Kong would have some space to resist the influence and efforts at control from the north.

Further strengthening Hong Kong’s position was the urgent need China had of foreign investment and management and financial expertise. In those fields, Hong Kong’s experience and reputation were irreplaceable.

Finally, the people of Hong Kong showed the willingness and determination to defend their freedom and democracy. To many people’s surprise, Hong Kong has been the place where the largest number of people have gathered each year to commemorate the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre.

On July 1, 2003, a half million Hong Kong residents took to the streets to protest against Article 23, which would have incorporated laws on subversion and sedition into Hong Kong local law. Critics believed the measure would have meant an end to the freedoms of speech, the press, and association in Hong Kong. The bill was withdrawn and the law was shelved indefinitely…… (more details from The Epochtimes)