Macao Public Security Police responded to inquiries from our newspaper on Sunday (16th), stating that they refrain from making comments on individual cases. They emphasized that as the department responsible for managing immigration affairs in the Macao Special Administrative Region, they always conduct thorough inspections of individuals entering and exiting according to laws and established procedures, in order to make decisions on approval or denial of entry.
On the update of the 16th,
Tung Wai-yun, a senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a veteran media professional, was supposed to speak at a workshop on “Personality Interviews” in Macao on the 15th. However, the Macao Journalists Association stated that she was denied entry by the Macao security authorities this morning, leading to the cancellation of the workshop. Subsequently, the association released a statement expressing deep regret and strong protest against the unreasonable refusal by the Macao security authorities towards Tung.
Around 1:00 PM today, the association posted an “Urgent Notice” on Facebook announcing the cancellation of the “Good Writing Personality Interview Workshop” scheduled for 2:00 PM today due to the aforementioned reasons, with details of the event to be notified separately.
At around 3:00 PM, the association’s statement revealed that after Tung Wai-yun arrived at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in Macao around 11:40 AM, she was detained and questioned by police officers for half an hour. Finally, the Department of Immigration of the Public Security Police denied her entry citing “public safety” reasons. Tung Wai-yun took a flight back to Hong Kong at 1:30 PM.
The association questioned how the “Personality Interview Workshop” could pose a threat to public safety. The statement pointed out that Tung Wai-yun had successfully entered Macao last year and was expected to attend industry training activities and be the keynote speaker at the workshop, but the security authorities arbitrarily refused her entry on grounds of engaging in activities that endanger public safety or order, a reasoning considered absurd and an abuse of power. The association urged the authorities to explain the legal basis for their decision.
The statement emphasized that if there are concerns about “public safety” regarding the training activity, the association welcomes direct inquiries and is willing to provide detailed explanations to the authorities. It was also mentioned that information about the workshop had been publicly available on social media platforms, and whether such activities could genuinely jeopardize public safety and order is a matter of public discussion. The association criticized the authorities for abusing the law under the guise of “public safety,” causing anxiety among local residents about further erosion of basic freedoms and rights.
Tung Wai-yun, a former reporter for Ming Pao and Cable News, currently contributes to the “Ming Pao Sunday Lifestyle” supplement with interviews and articles. She has previously won the Human Rights Press Awards jointly organized by Amnesty International Hong Kong, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association, in categories such as “Feature Article Award” and “Commentary and Analysis Award.”
Additionally, in 2020, she published a book related to the anti-extradition movement called “The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars: People and Events of the Anti-Extradition Movement.”
According to the introduction of the “Good Writing Personality Interview Workshop” published by the Macao Journalists Association on June 2nd, the workshop was organized by the association and sponsored by the Macao Foundation. The chairman of the Macao Foundation’s Board of Trustees is Macao’s Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, and its members include prominent individuals such as “Fourth Sister” Angela Leong. The funding of the foundation mainly comes from various local gaming companies allocated at 2% of their gross income, government subsidies, and donations from Macao and abroad, providing a certain level of public background.
As for the workshop itself, it was originally scheduled from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM at the Newman Galleria at the Casa de Portugal in Macao. In the promotion by the Macao Journalists Association, it was mentioned that Tung Wai-yun, a recipient of multiple journalism awards, was invited to share her interviewing and writing experiences over the years, focusing on techniques for conducting personality interviews, enhancing the quality of articles, and discussing news ethics when interviewing vulnerable communities. The workshop was designed for association members, journalists, freelance writers, and journalism students, with limited seats of 25 individuals.
In the past year, there have been instances of other Hong Kong residents being denied entry by Macao authorities. For example, former Yau Tsim Mong District Councilor Jui Keng-wai from the pro-democracy camp was denied entry in March, while in January, the netizen known as “Guang Zai Zai” was also refused entry, with law enforcement officers in Macao questioning his views on political issues and deeming them “extreme.”