US EditionPress Freedom Eroding: A Hong Kong Visa Controversy
Rebecca Choong Wilkins, denied visa renewal without explanation despite six years in Hong Kong, highlighting concerns over press freedom and visa transparency in the region.
- On Aug 23, Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins said she must leave Hong Kong after the Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong revealed the Hong Kong Immigration Department denied her visa renewal without explanation; Bloomberg News confirmed it is working to resolve the issue.
- Since the 2020 national security law, industry watchdogs say press freedom in Hong Kong has eroded, with Reporters Without Borders noting nine journalists faced visa issues, reflecting diminished openness.
- As a senior reporter, Rebecca Choong Wilkins has worked six years for Bloomberg News in Hong Kong, is eight months pregnant, on maternity leave, and Bloomberg supports her while resolving the visa issue.
- The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong urged urgent review and transparency in visa decisions, having contacted the Immigration Department for clarification amid press freedom concerns.
- The incident follows nine visa issues reported by Reporters Without Borders since 2020, prompting The New York Times to move its Hong Kong digital operation and causing local independent media closures in recent years.
19 Articles
19 Articles
In China, it is becoming increasingly difficult for correspondents to report. A freelance journalist gives an insight.
Press Freedom Eroding: A Hong Kong Visa Controversy
Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins' visa renewal in Hong Kong was denied without explanation, raising concerns about press freedoms in the city. Industry watchdogs highlight increased restrictions since 1997. Wilkins' case exemplifies the trend of foreign journalists facing visa issues under the 2020 national security law.
The Star Kuala Lumpur
The Daily StarHong Kong rejects renewal of Bloomberg reporter's visa
A journalist who works for Bloomberg News in Hong Kong said Saturday she has to leave the city after a foreign journalists' club revealed that authorities had denied renewal of her working visa.
For six years, a British Bloomberg correspondent from Hong Kong reports that she also writes about exiled dissidents. Now, the Chinese government refuses to extend its visa without justification.
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