Protesters demand RTHK sack 'traitorous' reporter

Protesters from Defend Hong Kong Campaign say the RTHK reporter had betrayed the government and undermined China's territorial integrity by asking the WHO a question about Taiwan. Photo: RTHK

Four activists from the pro-Beijing group, Defend Hong Kong Campaign, held a protest on Sunday outside RTHK headquarters to demand the public broadcaster sack a reporter who asked a senior World Health Organisation official whether the body would reconsider membership for Taiwan.



A representative from the group, Fu Chun-chung, accused the reporter of “betraying” the government as a public officer.



Fu said her question had “incited Taiwan independence” and “undermined China’s territorial integrity.”



The interview, aired in a recent episode of ‘the Pulse’, has put RTHK — a government department — at odds with the Carrie Lam administration.



The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau, who oversees the broadcaster, alleged that it had breached the One-China principle by raising the issue of Taiwan’s membership with the WHO, because it is “common knowledge that WHO membership is based on sovereign states.”



He also accused RTHK of breaching its own charter — a charge the broadcaster has denied.



It had responded by saying the question — on a recent episode of ‘The Pulse’ — did not violate the One Country, Two Systems” principle; and the programme had simply referred to Taiwan as a ‘place’.



In the interview, a reporter had asked WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward if the body would reconsider Taiwan’s membership in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but he appeared to pretend not to hear the question and told her to move on to the next one, before the line was cut.



The question violated RTHK charter and the One-China principle, Fu claimed, adding that other productions by the public service broadcaster, such as the political satirical show, ‘Headliner’, also “fans the flames”.



“We represent all Hongkongers to demand the Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing to punish the reporter in order to warn other staff that the public service broadcaster can’t become an anti-government station,” he said.



Pro-democracy legislators and the Hong Kong Journalists Association have defended RTHK, saying the question was reasonable, while accusing the government of suppressing press freedom.