Victor Mallet visa controversy
The Victor Mallet visa controversy is an incident in Hong Kong in 2018 that many pundits consider as having major implications for freedom of speech in Hong Kong. The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) scheduled a lunchtime talk for 14 August. The invitee was Andy Chan, convenor of the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP); Victor Mallet, vice-president of the press organisation, chaired the session. The government of China had called for the cancellation of the talk, and Hong Kong government expressed its regret because the issue of independence was said to cross the red lines on national sovereignty. After a visit to Bangkok, Mallet was denied a working visa by the Hong Kong government. Mallet was subjected to a four-hour interrogation by immigration officers on his return from Thailand on Sunday, 7 October before he was finally allowed to enter Hong Kong. In the absence of an official explanation, Mallet's visa rejection was widely seen to be retribution for his role in chairing the Chan talk, which the FCC refused to cancel. The Hong Kong Journalists Association, which has for years lived under the pressure of self-censorship, immediately warned of the "death knell of freedom of speech". Secretary for Security John