‘Don’t say we didn’t warn you’: Hong Kong foreign media told not to cause trouble after fire | Hong Kong apartment fires
Beijing’s security agency in Hong Kong has summoned international journalists to let them know it will not tolerate “making trouble” following critical coverage of the deadly apartment complex fire that shook the region.
Senior reporters from various media outlets operating in the city were summoned to the Office for Protecting National Security (OSNS), which was established by Beijing in 2020.
At the meeting attended by the New York Times and Agence France-Presse, an official accused journalists of smearing the government. The official did not give specific examples and did not accept questions, according to AFP.
An OSNS statement posted online shortly after the meeting accused some foreign media of “ignoring facts, spreading misinformation, distorting and denigrating the government’s disaster relief and aftermath efforts.”
Hong Kong has been on edge since a fire at an apartment complex on November 26 killed at least 159 people. The fire at the eight-tower Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong was the city’s worst disaster in 75 years and the world’s deadliest residential fire since 1980.
The large apartment block, which is home to around 5,000 people, has since been under extensive refurbishment which was found to contain substandard, flammable materials, sparking a public outcry.
The online OSNS statement urged journalists “not to cross the legal red line”.
“The office will not tolerate the actions of all anti-China and troublemaking elements in Hong Kong,” he added: “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong was returned to China from Britain in 1997 and operates under a “one country, two systems” framework. It has long boasted freedoms not available on the mainland, such as a free press and the ability to demonstrate. But these freedoms have been eroded since the passage of the sweeping national security law in 2020, which gave Beijing sweeping powers to clamp down on dissent.
Earlier this week, OSNS warned against “foreign forces” as well as “anti-China media outlets” threatening to take advantage of the fire.
Saturday’s statement accused some in the media of “attacking and interfering” in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Hong Kong’s electoral system was revamped in 2021 to ensure that only “patriots”, i.e. pro-China candidates, run for office.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
