Anyone traveling to Hong Kong will now have their personal details sent to the city authorities before they board their flight, making it easier for officials to turn away foreign journalists, members of international organizations, and anyone else they see as "undesirable" before they travel, rights activists warned.
According to new rules from the city's Immigration Department that took effect Sept. 3, airlines operating routes to Hong Kong must compile passenger details from travel documents processed during check-in and send them to officials.
"The Advance Passenger Information system ... will instantly process the information and provide a response message, i.e., a board or no-board direction for each traveler, back to the aircraft operator," an Immigration Department spokesman said on Tuesday.
"The aircraft operator shall act upon the direction given through the API System, i.e., ... allow or not allow specific travelers to board the aircraft heading to Hong Kong," he said.
Immigration officials have already turned away international rights activists and journalists on arrival at the airport under an ongoing crackdown on dissent, which the government blames on instigation by " hostile foreign forces."
In April, the Hong Kong immigration officials denied entry to Aleksandra Bielakowska, an advocacy worker for the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, who was en route to monitor the national security trial of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai and talk to journalists about diminishing press freedom in the city.
The rules are being brought in to "further strengthen law enforcement capabilities to prevent undesirable persons ... from traveling," the Department said.
But only non-residents will be affected by the new rules, which come as the city implements two national security laws that effectively ban criticism of the authorities along with peaceful opposition activities.
"The system will not issue a no-board direction against Hong Kong permanent residents who enjoy the right of abode in Hong Kong," the spokesman said.
Creating a deterrent
Exiled activist Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, who has a bounty on her head, said the latest measures will likely have the biggest impact on foreign journalists or members of international organizations, which are often seen as "hostile foreign forces" by the authorities.
She said it offers a far less obtrusive way of preventing some people from entering the city than the current tendency to deny them entry when they arrive at the airport.
"The Hong Kong government fears that if it allows them into the city, it will give them the opportunity to speak out about the suppression of human rights in Hong Kong," Kwok told Radio Free Asia in an interview on Tuesday.
"[This could] give rise to national security issues, so naturally they want to prevent that from happening," she said.
Currently, passport-holders from around 170 countries and regions can travel to Hong Kong without a visa, and stay for between 7 and 180 days, depending on their nationality.
Exiled businessman Elmer Yuen, who co-founded the overseas-based Hong Kong Parliament, said the new rules allow the authorities to make sure that only those who are welcome are allowed to get on the plane.
"They're trying to create a deterrent and teach people a lesson," Yuen said, adding that anyone who speaks out about diminishing rights and freedoms in the city could be a target under the system.
"They're likely to be even stricter in implementing this than mainland China," he said.
Maya Wang, associate director in the Asia division at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, agreed, adding that "undesirable" persons could include think tank employees, anyone who donates money to support the pro-democracy movement, and family members and friends of known dissidents.
"This isn't just about targeting people wanted by the Hong Kong government; it's also about their friends and comrades," Wang said. "It will make them start to fear being around [wanted activists] and want to cut off ties with them."
"The whole sociopolitical system of Hong Kong has been reshaped under the national security laws," she said.
In June, Hong Kong's security chief revoked the Chinese passports of six U.K.-based activists including former pro-democracy lawmaker Nathan Law, after national security police put them on a wanted list with bounties on their heads.
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin.