(AFP) – British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said Sunday that he was deeply worried after a United Kingdom legislator was denied entry to Hong Kong, and said he would urgently raise the problem with the Chinese authorities.
Waa Hobhouse said she was the first British deputy in which she was denied entry when she arrived at Hong Kong since the former British colony was delivered to China in 1997.
Hobhouse is a member of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China.
“IPAC unites legislators around the world, the democracy of promotion and addressing threats to human rights systems and based on the rules raised by the emergence of China,” says the group on its website.
The Sunday Times newspaper said that Hobhouse, 65, flew to Hong Kong on Thursday on a personal trip to visit his newborn grandson.
He said that he was asked his passport, he was asked about his work and the purpose of his visit, he search his luggage and then it was tasks to the boarding door.
“When I was the decision, my voice was trembling and only said:” Why, please, explain to me? “”, The British weekly cited her by saying.
Hobhouse said in Bluesky: “I am the first deputy who rejects me the entrance when I arrive at Hong Kong since 1997.
“The authorities don’t cool me.
AFP has contacted Hong Kong to comment.
A week arrives after two British parliamentarians of the ruling Labor Party were blocked to enter Israel and deported.
Hobhouse has been a member of the Parliament for the liberal Democrats of the smallest opposition since 2017.
“It is deeply consecutive to hear that a parliamentarian on a personal trip has refused entry to Hong Kong,” Lammy said.
“We will urgently raise this with the authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to demand an explanation.
“As I made clear earlier this week, it would be unacceptable for a deputy to be denied entry for simply expressing his views as a parliamentarian.
“Unjustified restrictions on freedom of movement can only be used to undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation.”
It occurs when the Democratic Party of Hong Kong, once the unconditional opposition force of the city but now without a seat, prepares to dissolve as some of its veterans languish in jail.
The remaining members of the main democracy party of the city will meet Sunday to discuss and possible to vote on the closure, after the procedures that began in February.
The party and its campaign for the freest elections have gone under the repression of national security of the Beijing years.
After 2019, the protests paralyzed the financial center, Beijing moved to further restrict elections and imprison democracy activists.
