Hong Kong activists on mission to reach Xi Jinping turned back at Macau ferry terminal
PUBLISHED : Friday, 19 December, 2014, 11:29am
UPDATED : Saturday, 20 December, 2014, 3:36am
Peter So, Jeffie Lam in Macau and Shirley Zhao
A group League of Social Democrats members protest at the ferry terminal before being sent back to Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Rally organisers planning pro-democracy protests during President Xi Jinping's two-day visit have been told by Macau police to amend their routes to quieter streets and locations farther away from Xi's hotel.
The order came as 14 activists from Hong Kong and four Apple Daily reporters were denied entry to Macau yesterday, ahead of the 15th anniversary of the former Portuguese enclave's handover to China.
As Xi attends the celebrations, hundreds of residents are expected to turn out this afternoon for the rallies, organised separately by Macau's Labour Party and Macau Conscience, to call for democracy, a clean government and better labour rights.
Macau Conscience had planned to protest at Colina da Penha near Xi's hotel, but were told on Wednesday to move to a farther location, group member Jason Chao Teng-hei said.
"For the first time, the police have informed us of the decision only a few days before the protest and have therefore left us no time to appeal against it," Chao said.
Xi arrived in Macau yesterday, and more than a dozen police officers blocked several group members - who were holding the yellow umbrellas that symbolised Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement - as they neared Colina da Penha, he said.
"Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung (centre) and two other activists at Sheung Wan ferry pier leaving Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse
Police had also told the Labour Party to make a detour via quieter streets during its march, deputy chairman Lee Kin-yun said. But the party did not plan to get near Xi anyway. Lee said. "It is impossible to approach him because the cordoned-off area is very extensive," Lee said.
Meanwhile, a group of Hong Kong activists led by League of Social Democrats chairman and lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung were denied entry to Macau.
The activists, their yellow umbrellas raised, were stopped at immigration counters within half an hour of their arrival around noon at the Outer Harbour ferry terminal and turned back.
Four Apple Daily reporters, who planned to cover Xi's visit, were also refused entry.
Back in Hong Kong, the activists showed documents declaring they had been denied entry because of "strong evidence" that their activities would threaten Macau's public safety.
Leung said the authorities barred people from carrying umbrellas into ceremonial venues. "I've never seen such a barbaric decision before. It's really funny."
Democrat Andrew Wan Siu-kin, who was also turned back, said officers even detained people with the same names as pan-democrats.
A 50-year-old known as Wu Chi-wai and an 80-year-old called Chan Wai-yip - whose names were the same as those of Democratic Party and People Power lawmakers - were held.
The protest at the Macau ferry pier was filmed by local officials.
