Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (October 9):
Reporter: Mrs Lam, Victor Mallet is not an activist and he was not advocating independence for Hong Kong. He is very different from Andy Chan. He was purely chairing a talk at the FCC. So, why was his visa denied? He is not leading the Hong Kong independence movement. He was purely facilitating a talk at the FCC…
Chief Executive: I am sorry, what you said is pure speculation. I have just answered in Cantonese that as far as entry and exit matters, these are matters within Hong Kong's autonomy under "One Country, Two Systems".
Point number two is on every individual case, the Director of Immigration will act in accordance with the law and the policy and the circumstances concerning that particular case.
The third point is, as a rule, not only locally, but internationally, we will never disclose, the Immigration Department will not disclose the individual circumstances of the case or the considerations of his decision. So, I cannot comment on your speculations.
Reporter: Mrs Lam, if the Government is talking about independence almost every week, how do journalists navigate this red line? Can they quote independence figures, interview them, invite them to a forum, or invite them only alongside a government representative? If reporters don’t know clearly, they may self-censor. So, can you tell us which of these reporting and which is now unlawful advocacy?
Chief Executive: I'm sorry, I cannot tell you exactly what journalists should say or act or interview, but I can assure you, as I did in Cantonese, freedom of expression, freedom of reporting are core values in Hong Kong, and as the Chief Executive, I and the HKSAR Government, will safeguard all these rights as enshrined in the Basic Law. Every act, every case will be dealt with in accordance with the law, the policy and the circumstances, including the facts of the case. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Follow this news feed: East Asia