【禁聞】長平簽證受阻 疑港府配合中共

【新唐人2011年11月29日訊】《南方都市報》前副總編輯長平，今年3月受聘為《陽光衛視》旗下電子期刊《陽光時務》主編，向香港政府入境處申請工作簽證。但8個多月過去，一直沒有得到回應。最近長平收到了香港入境處對他的答復。入境處宣稱，長平在做訪問學者期間，涉嫌違反逗留條件，但長平認為這一說法極不合理，質疑港府配合中共進行政治打壓。

在輿論壓力下，香港入境處終於在11月23號，對長平的申請進行首次答復。

現在德國參加寫作項目的長平電話查詢後被告知，今年3月份他在香港浸會大學做訪問學者期間，涉嫌從事僱傭工作。入境處表示，希望長平到港直接面談，並表示不一定會得出調查結論。

長平認為，入境處對他的審查已拖延大半年，至今才給出這樣荒唐的理由，極不合理。他對《自由亞洲電臺》表示，做訪問學者是一種學術交流，並不是僱傭工作，全世界沒有把訪問學者當做工作關係對待的﹔入境處說做訪問學者涉嫌非法工作，是全世界的笑話。

長平：“全香港的大學聘內地學者做短期訪問，幾乎都沒有辦理專門的簽證，都是持旅遊或者商務簽證前往。這也是浸會大學給我發出邀請時的指引，如果有問題的話也不會是我這方面的原因，全世界的訪學基本都是由學校方面幫訪問者完成各項手續。”

現年42歲的長平是大陸知名媒體人、《南方都市報》前副總編輯，因為經常發表文章批評中共政府。今年1月，長平被當局要求承諾“不再寫批評政府的評論文章”。長平表示不會屈從，而遭到南方報業集團解僱。

對於簽證受阻，長平希望港府不要一味聽命於中共政府，進行政治打壓。長平質問：入境處說涉及不同部門，到底牽涉甚麼部門？要審查甚麼？

香港《明報》報導，浸會大學反駁入境處“打黑工”的說法指出，長平訪問期間，學校僅提供單人房間、和包括交通費用在內的生活補貼每月6000港幣，這並不是工作報酬，雙方不是僱傭關係，而這也是香港各大學邀請學者訪問的慣例。

香港民主黨主席何俊仁律師表示，這根本就不是僱傭關係，也不是入境處所要管制的。他認為，香港入境處是受到一些壓力、基於政治的考慮而遲遲不給長平工作簽證，現在的說法只是藉口。

香港支聯會副主席蔡耀昌也對《德國之聲》表示，香港法律確實規定，非工作簽證不能在港進行工作，但長平作為訪問學者參加演講活動，不屬於工作性質。

蔡耀昌：“長平這個個案，無論如何都讓人感覺到，是不是背後有一些政治的原因，來做這些調查。如果他（長平）對入境處的處理有甚麼問題，他當然也可以在香港行使他一些法律的權利，他可以提出上訴或者法律途徑的處理。”

很多網民也紛紛譴責入境處的做法，認為香港被中共入侵得越來越嚴重，越來越與大陸同化。去年（2010年），香港入境處就曾經因為中共的干擾，而拒絕「美國神韻藝術團」來港演出，導致演出被迫取消。經過法律訴訟，香港高院最終裁決入境處敗訴。

新唐人記者李謙、周昕屹報導

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Hong Kong Authorities Delay Chang Ping』s Work Visa

Former deputy chief editor of Southern Metropolis Daily,

Chang Ping, was employed as editor-in-chief by iSun Affairs, a magazine under SUN TV, this March.

However, Chang Ping』s visa application was delayed

for over eight months without getting any reply.

Recently Chang was told by the Hong Kong

Immigration Department that

he was suspected of breaching conditions of stay during

the period when he was a visiting scholar in Hong Kong.

Chang Ping thinks that this justification is extremely

unreasonable and questions whether the Hong Kong authorities

have coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to

initiate political suppression.

On November 23 under pressure of public opinion,

the Hong Kong Immigration Department responded

for the first time to Chang Ping』s visa application.

Chang Ping, who is presently participating in a writing-project

in Germany, was told in his telephone inquiry that

during his stay as a visiting scholar in Hong Kong

Baptist University this March, he was suspected of engaging in unauthorized employment.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department said they hoped that

Chang Ping could go to Hong Kong for a face-to-face

interview, but claimed that the conclusions over the investigation

might not necessarily be attained.

Chang Ping said that the Hong Kong Immigration Department

had delayed his visa application examination for

over eight months. They did not give any explanation until

now and have given such an absurd and unreasonable excuse.

Chang Ping told Radio Free Asia that a visiting

scholar is an academic exchange, not one of employment.

A visiting scholar has never been treated as an employment

posting anywhere in the world, but he was alleged to be under suspicion of illegal

working by Hong Kong Immigration Department.

This is a farce.

Chang Ping: "Almost all Hong Kong universities,

never need to apply for a specific visa for mainland scholars who were invited for a short-term visit.

It』s ok for them to enter into Hong Kong with only tourist

or business visas.

That is also what the Hong Kong Baptist University told me

at the time of their invitation.

Even if some problems were to occur,

it shouldn』t be on my side.

Around the whole world, basically the host universities help their

visiting scholars to complete the usual formalities. "

42-year-old Chang Ping is a renowned media professional

in China and former deputy chief editor of Southern Metropolis Daily.

Chang often published articles criticizing CCP authorities.

This January, the CCP authorities required Chang Ping to

promise to "no longer write commentaries that criticize

the government." Chang gave a non-yielding response,

and was dismissed by the Southern Press Group.

In view of the delay in his visa application, Chang Ping

appealed to the Hong Kong authorities not to take orders from

the CCP authorities and initiate political suppression against him.

When Chang Ping asked, the Immigration Department claimed

the visa application involved different departments.

Then what on earth are these specific departments?

What content do they want to examine?

Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that Hong Kong Baptist Univ.

refuted Hong Kong Immigration Department』s allegation of illegal working.

The university stated that during his visit, Chang Ping was

only offered a single room and a monthly living allowance of 6,000 HK dollars covering transportation costs,

which was not job compensation, and

neither did employment relations between two parties exist.

This type of allowance is common practice for all Hong Kong

Universities to give to their invited visiting scholars.

The chairman of the Democratic Party ( in Hong Kong) and

lawyer, Albert Ho Chun-yan, said that this was absolutely not

an employment relationship, nor was it subject to regulation

by the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

Albert Ho believes that the Hong Kong Immigration Department

was under some pressure and

it was on the basis of political considerations that

they delayed issuing a work visa to Chang Ping. The current justification was just an excuse.

Choy Yiu-cheong, vice chairman of Hong Kong Alliance

in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China,

said to Voice of Germany that the laws of Hong Kong did

stipulate that non-working visa holders are not allowed to work in Hong Kong,

but Chang Ping, as a visiting scholar giving lectures,

did not fall into the category of employment.

Choy Yiu-cheong: "Chang Ping』s case makes people feel that

there might be some behind-the-screen political reasons that required them to make investigations.

If Chang Ping is dissatisfied with Hong Kong』s Immigration Dept's

handling on the case, he can certainly exercise his legal rights

in Hong Kong, such as lodging an appeal or using other legal

approaches to deal with the matter. "

Many netizens also joined in condemning this practice

by Hong Kong』s Immigration Dept,

saying that Hong Kong has been increasingly invaded

by the CCP, and is becoming more and more assimilated to mainland China.

In 2010, under the CCP』s interference,

Hong Kong Immigration Department rejected the visa

applications of the US-based Shen Yun Performing Arts

leading to the cancellation of the shows in Hong Kong.

After going through legal proceedings, the

Hong Kong High Court made a final verdict that Hong Kong Immigration Department was at fault.

NTD reporters Li Qian and Zhou Xinyi