Hong Kong reporters kicked out of Apec summit for 'screaming' questions at President Aquino

Radio and TV crews lose their press passes after questions 'screamed' at Benigno Aquino Monday, 07 October, 2013, 2:40pm
Johnny Tam johnny.tam@scmp.com

An Apec staff member takes a reporter's pass. Photo: Now TV

Staff at the Apec summit in Bali, Indonesia, have been accused of stifling press freedom after Hong Kong journalists were ejected from the venue and their press passes taken away for "screaming" questions at Philippine President Benigno Aquino. Lawmaker James To Kun-sun said he suspected Manila had pressed organisers of the AsiaPacific Economic Co-operation summit to take the action and urged the Hong Kong government to step in. However, APEC hosts Indonesia on Monday denied stifling press freedom, insisting that they had posed a security threat. And despite protests from Hong Kong's main journalist group, President Benigno Aquino's spokesman also said the journalists had "crossed the line" by aggressively questioning him about the Manila hostage siege in 2010. Reporters from Now TV, RTHK and Commercial Radio were questioning Aquino in a non-

restricted area of the Bali International Convention Centre in Nusa Dua on Sunday at about 2pm when the incident took place. He was asked if he would meet Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and apologise to the families of the victims of the Manila hostage crisis three years ago. He did not reply to the questions. Now TV footage showed an Apec staff member telling a reporter: "You know that decency includes not screaming Now, out." The reporter's press pass was then confiscated. Video:Apec summit staff kicked out Hong Kong reporters for "screaming" at President of Philippines Another Apec staff member told the reporters: "You ambushed one of our visitors." The passes of the other two reporters and two cameramen were then taken away. The Apec staff did not say if they had been acting on the orders of the Philippine authorities or summit host Indonesia. Another reporter, cameraman and two technicians from Now TV who were not there at the time later found their passes had been cancelled when they were unable to get into the venue. At least nine media staff from the three stations were affected. "We deemed it improper for media to act that way, as they didn't talk normally but they were very demonstrative, like they were protesting," Gatot Dewa Broto, the Indonesian communications ministry official who is in charge of the APEC media centre in Bali, said. "So we did this due to security concerns," he said, adding that the press badges of four Hong Kong journalists had been deactivated. Journalists Association chairwoman Sham Yee-lan said the "rudeness" of the Apec staff had stifled press freedom. "Whether they're loud or not, it's very subjective. Even if they were loud, it doesn't mean they were impolite," Sham said. "This has deprived Hongkongers of media reports on the rest of the summit." Aquino's spokesman Ricky Carandang said the journalists had crossed an ethical boundary. "As a former journalist I know what it's like to aggressively question a subject," he said. "The behaviour of these reporters crossed the line from mere questioning to heckling, and was even construed by Indonesian security personnel assigned to the president as a potential physical threat to him," he added. Now TV expressed its regret over the incident and asked the Hong Kong government to step in to help get their passes back. RTHK said it was following up the matter with the government. A government spokeswoman said it would pursue the matter. Seven Hong Kong tourists and their guide were killed and several others hurt when a sacked Manila policeman took them hostage at gunpoint aboard their tour bus in the Philippine capital in 2010. A bungled rescue saw the gunman shot dead by police.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as HK reporters kicked out of Apec summit http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1326103/hong-kong-reporters-kickedout-apec-summit-briefly-detained-bali