Asia news editor Victor Mallet, whose right to work was previously revoked, has now been barred from re-entering as a visitor
Hong Kong has refused entry to a senior Financial Times journalist after his work visa was denied.
Asia news editor Victor Mallet had left semi-autonomous Hong Kong after the authorities declined to renew his working visa in October. The British national was barred by immigration on Thursday when he tried to come back in as a visitor, according to a report in the FT.
The Hong Kong government did not give an explanation for his original visa denial but it is widely seen as linked to Mallet’s chairing of a press club talk by a Hong Kong independence activist.
The decision to effectively blacklist Mallet prompted a backlash against an unprecedented challenge to freedom of the press in the city.
The FT said Mallet had been turned away on Thursday after several hours of questioning by immigration officers.
British citizens are usually allowed into Hong Kong without a visa and are permitted to stay for 180 days under immigration rules.
It came on the same day the Tai Kwun arts centre, a major new cultural hub in Hong Kong, pulled talks by dissident author Ma, with venue director Timothy Calnin saying it did not want to become “a platform to promote the political interests of any individual”.
