A professional-democracy campaigner who fled Hong Kong has been denied entry to Singapore regardless of being granted a visa, with the city-state saying his presence “wouldn’t be in nationwide pursuits”.
Nathan Legislation, who lives in exile within the UK, mentioned he arrived in Singapore on Saturday to attend a “closed-door, invitation-only” convention however was detained on the border for 4 hours.
“I used to be not requested questions and they didn’t give good reason for the denial,” he informed the BBC.
Mr Legislation is needed by Hong Kong authorities who’ve accused him of endangering nationwide safety, Singapore’s Ministry of House Affairs famous.
Singapore has an extradition treaty with Hong Kong.
“Mr Legislation’s entry into and presence within the nation wouldn’t be in Singapore’s nationwide pursuits,” mentioned the ministry’s spokesman in response to queries from the BBC.
“A visa holder remains to be topic to additional checks at level of entry into the nation. That’s what occurred with Nathan Legislation,” he mentioned, including that Mr Legislation was referred for “questioning, and immigration and safety evaluation” after he landed.
Singapore is understood to be cautious about overseas politics. In a press release issued final 12 months, the federal government mentioned it “takes a transparent and robust stand towards the importation of politics of different international locations into Singapore”.
In a press release, Mr Legislation mentioned he believes the denial of entry was for “political” causes. “I’m not sure whether or not exterior forces, such because the PRC (Folks’s Republic of China), are concerned, straight or not directly,” he mentioned.
Mr Legislation mentioned he utilized for a visa that might have allowed him a “one-time entry for just a few days”, and that it was permitted three weeks earlier than his departure. He mentioned he holds a UK Refugee Journey Doc.
On Sunday, the activist was placed on the earliest flight again to San Francisco, the place he initially departed from.
The organisers of the occasion he was resulting from attend have declined to remark to the BBC.
Mr Legislation, a former Hong Kong legislator, is likely one of the most distinguished figures within the metropolis’s pro-democracy motion, fled the town in 2020 after China imposed a sweeping nationwide safety regulation which targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of as much as life in jail.
In 2021, he was granted asylum in the UK.
Hong Kong authorities have offered rewards of HK$1m ($128,000; £95,000) for info that may assist them arrest Mr Legislation and different pro-democracy activists.
This isn’t the primary incident Singapore authorities have taken motion concerning Hong Kong pro-democracy activists.
In 2019, the city-state fined a Singaporean activist for holding a web based discussion board a number of years prior that featured distinguished activist Joshua Wong talking in a teleconference name.
