Alex Chow (left), shown with Nathan Law and Eason Chan, says China has no reason to fear three students after they were barred from a Cathay Pacific flight to Beijing. Photo: AFP
HKFS eyes mass entry to highlight China border ‘abuse’
Hong Kong protest leaders are discussing a plan to send big groups of students across the border to show how mainland immigration authorities have been “abusing their power”.
Alex Chow, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS), revealed the plan after he and two other student leaders were barred from a Cathay Pacific flight to Beijing on Saturday.
The trio had hoped to bring their pro-democracy campaign to the central authorities after failing to get the Hong Kong government to act on their demands.
Chow, Nathan Law and Eason Chan were told by an airline representative that their mainland travel permits had been revoked.
In a statement Sunday, HKFS accused mainland authorities of cutting off young Hong Kong people from the mainland and violating their freedom of movement.
It demanded authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing explicitly say if the trio had been blacklisted.
Chow said China has “no reason to fear three students”, Ming Pao Daily reported Monday.
Also, HKFS said two student protesters were detained on Nov. 9 and 10 at the Lok Ma Chau control point and refused entry to the mainland.
One was held for nearly four hours, it said.
At least nine Hong Kong students and social activists have been stopped at the border since the street protests began in September, the report said.
Ivan Choy, a political commentator and lecturer in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Beijing might have a blacklist of people not allowed to enter the mainland.
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