In Ng Chau-pei's opinion, Financial Times news editor Victor Mallet was not granted a visa extension to stay in Hong Kong because he blatantly challenged the Basic Law.

After the Security Bureau had initiated the legal procedure to ban the so-called Hong Kong National Party and declare it an unlawful society, Mallet, in his capacity as first vice-president of Foreign Correspondent's Club, defied all odds and invited the convener of the said organization to give a talk at the clubhouse in August.

Mallet insisted on going ahead with the talk regardless of warnings by the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR not to play with fire.

"(Mallet) was wilfully challenging the Basic Law," Ng asserted. He set a stage for a separatist activist to advocate Hong Kong independence. It obviously exceeded freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

"He himself knew very well in his heart (why he was denied renewal). Do you know any country in the world that would allow people to enter and advocate separatism? Surely the government had to take action in accordance with the law."

Ng also said some people intended to spread separatism in the false term of freedom of press.

"This case had nothing to do with freedom of press," Ng said, asking "Have you seen other journalists being barred from entering Hong Kong?"

"It is an international rule that immigration authorities would not give any explanations why they ban people from entering," Ng added.

"Some people in the UK, US and Europe made a lot of noise because they were misled by pro-independence and anti-China people. They are disrespectful to China and the Hong Kong SAR if they attempt to interfere with Hong Kong's internal affairs."

(HK Edition 10/16/2018 page3)