Student protesters believe some of them are on a blacklist banning them from the mainland. Photo: CNSA
Students to test border blacklist
Students from several universities in Hong Kong plan to try to enter the mainland to test an apparent blacklist at the border.
The students said they have no intention of challenging the central government.
They said they just wanted to find out who is on the list of those banned from traveling to the mainland, Ming Pao Daily reported Wednesday.
Wong Hau-lok of Hong Kong Baptist University’s Students Union said students from the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Lingnan University have been in contact over the test.
He said other citizens are welcome to join them.
Wong said students with different backgrounds — for example, those who have been members of students’ unions and those who took part in the July 2 rehearsal for the Occupy Central protests — will be divided into small groups for the test.
All travel will be done individually.
Hong Kong Federation of Students secretary-general Alex Chow said the HKFS is aware of the planned action. Its members are discussing internally whether to join it, he said.
Tang Yat-long, former chairman of HKU’s students union, was reportedly banned from crossing the Lowu border into Shenzhen on Tuesday. He claimed that he only joined the Occupy protest twice, on Sept. 28 and Oct. 1, and was surprised to find he was on the blacklist.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told the media Tuesday Hong Kong and the mainland have their own immigration policies and processes and it is up to the respective departments to carry out their duties.
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