The US government-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) said on Friday (March 29, 2024) that it has closed its Hong Kong operations due to concerns about employee safety following the implementation of the new national security legislation in Hong Kong. office. Pictured: On the morning of April 2, 2014, dark clouds covered the sky over Hong Kong, making it a rare day and night. (Pan Zaishu/The Epoch Times)
[The Epoch Times, March 30, 2024](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu) The US government-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) stated on Friday (March 29) that the implementation of “Article 23 New National Security” in Hong Kong Legislation, the station has closed its Hong Kong office due to concerns about employee safety. The U.S. State Department said this is the latest consequence of the Hong Kong government’s continued suppression of media freedom.
“The Hong Kong authorities’ actions, including referring to Radio Free Asia as a ‘foreign power,’ raise serious questions about our ability to operate safely under Section 23. ” Radio Free Asia Director Bay Fang said in a statement.
The agency will no longer employ full-time staff in Hong Kong but will retain its official media registration there, the statement said.
“We recognize Radio Free Asia’s frontline status as one of the last independent news organizations reporting in Cantonese and Mandarin on events in Hong Kong,” she said. “For those who rely on Radio Free Asia’s timely, uncensored news coverage “To our Hong Kong and mainland audiences, please rest assured that our programs and content will continue without any interruption.”
US State Department: Hong Kong authorities continue to suppress media freedom
The “Article 23 Legislation” came into effect on March 23 after being unanimously passed by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing Legislative Council. Under the legislation, harsher penalties ranging from fixed-term imprisonment to life imprisonment will be imposed for crimes such as treason, sedition, leaking state secrets, espionage and external interference.
Critics including the U.S. and British governments say the law gives the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government broader powers to suppress dissent.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said, “Radio Free Asia’s decision represents the latest consequence of the Hong Kong authorities’ continued suppression of media freedom.”
“We are deeply concerned about the deterioration of Hong Kong’s protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the systematic denial of Hong Kong’s autonomy under the Hong Kong National Security Law and the recently passed Article 23 legislation,” the official said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an earlier statement that the United States was taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on a number of Hong Kong officials in response to the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on human rights and freedoms in the city.
Senior House Representative: Beijing is blatantly depriving Hong Kong of its autonomy
Posted by Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committeestatement“I am deeply concerned that Radio Free Asia, a long-time beacon of independent journalism, has been forced to close its Hong Kong office due to the passage of Hong Kong’s tough Section 23 law. Not only does this law represent a significant escalation in the crackdown on free speech and expression by the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, it also undermines media freedom and the public’s ability to access the truth about ongoing events in Hong Kong. “
RFA has operated its Hong Kong branch since 1996. Meeks said that the closure of Radio Free Asia’s Hong Kong office after 28 years is a stark reminder of how Beijing is blatantly depriving Hong Kong of its autonomy.
Critics say the closure of Radio Free Asia and the withdrawal of full-time staff are the latest signs of the erosion of media freedoms in Hong Kong and reflect concerns that some businesses and entities with ties to foreign governments may be affected by the new law.
In recent years, liberal media in Hong Kong such as Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen Radio have been forced to close under pressure from the authorities.
“Apple Daily” publisher and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, 76, is currently on trial by the Chinese Communist Party for allegedly endangering national security and publishing inflammatory materials. He may be sentenced to life in prison.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Hong Kong 140th out of 180 countries in its annual Global Media Freedom Index in 2023, down from 73rd place before the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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2024-03-30 00:30:02
