RTHK reporter barred, Macau shuts out more HK media

A notice handed over by the Macau authorities to an RTHK reporter after he was denied entry. Photo: RTHK

A slip given to an RTHK cameraman when he was allowed in after more than two hours of questioning.

An RTHK reporter was denied entry into Macau on Wednesday and a cameraman from the station was made to go through hours of questioning and checks before being allowed in, as the former Portuguese colony continued to impose severe restrictions on the Hong Kong media ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit.



Macau authorities cited their Internal Security Framework Act to ban the RTHK reporter and send him back to Hong Kong by ferry.



The accompanying cameraman was made to go through several loops of questioning and checks before he was admitted.



Several media outlets had reported that their employees were barred from entering Macau, which on Thursday will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its handover to China. On Wednesday, staff from Commercial Radio and TVB were also denied entry along with the RTHK reporter.



The RTHK team had registered with the Macau authorities in November for permission to cover the handover events.



The team left Hong Kong by ferry at 7am on Wednesday along with some other media. But as they arrived in Macau, a number of plainclothes officers surrounded them for checks and some were released after a search.



The RTHK team was also stopped and searched and the reporter's ID, staff card and accreditation issued by the Hong Kong government were taken for inspection.



The duo were then taken to a room at the arrival port and asked to fill in their names, parents' names, addresses and contact details. The officers then asked them the purpose of their visit.



They told the officers that this was an official trip arranged by the Macau Information Bureau to cover official events and they had no plan to conduct other interviews and no intention of making contact with any other people during their visit. They also provided information about the hotel they planned to stay at.



They were then taken to another room with a reporter from Now TV and their personal belongings were searched.



The reporter from RTHK was informed that he was not allowed to enter Macau, and was made to sign a denial of entry notice. In the notice, the authorities informed him that he was being stopped due to strong indications he may engage in activities endangering Macau's public safety and public order.



The reporter asked if there was a ban against him entering Macau in future. The police officer responded: "This time you can't, but I am not sure about next time."



Meanwhile, the cameraman who was allowed in was made to undergo more checks by the police. They made him sign a statement to say that he "voluntarily" agreed to his mobile phone being checked.



The police went through his social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram and even his personal WhatsApp messages.



The cameraman was asked about the content of some messages in a group conversation and whether he had installed the Telegram app.



He was then given permission to enter Macau.



In response to Macau's refusal to allow the reporter in, RTHK said the move was regrettable and the station did not understand the reason behind it.