Singaporean Government Denies Entry
Revealed in Interviews with FT and BBC
Foreign media reported on the 28th (local time) that the Singaporean government has denied entry to Nathan Law, the pro-democracy activist who led the 2014 Hong Kong pro-democracy movement known as the "Umbrella Revolution."
In interviews with the Financial Times and the BBC, Nathan Law said, "I had a visa, so I tried to go through immigration as usual, but I was detained." He added, "After being held at the border for four hours, an immigration officer told me my entry was denied, but I was not given a reason."
Law described this action as being for "political reasons," but added, "However, it is unclear whether China was directly or indirectly involved."
Law had obtained a Singaporean visa three weeks earlier to attend a conference in Singapore, but after being denied entry, he had to return to San Francisco in the United States. He also held a refugee travel document issued by the British government.
In 2014, at the age of 22, Law led the Umbrella Revolution. After China implemented the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020, he sought asylum in the United Kingdom and was granted refugee status in 2021. Together with Joshua Wong, who is currently imprisoned in Hong Kong on charges of organizing large-scale anti-government protests, he co-founded the pro-democracy party Demosisto.
The Hong Kong National Security Law, which took effect in June 2020, allows for life imprisonment for four crimes: secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign forces.
Hong Kong authorities have issued a wanted notice for Law, claiming he violated the National Security Law. The Hong Kong government has offered a bounty of 1 million Hong Kong dollars (approximately 180 million Korean won) for the capture of Law and other pro-democracy activists residing overseas.
The Financial Times commented on Law's trip to Singapore, saying, "It was a risky decision from the start," noting that "Singapore has an extradition treaty with Hong Kong."
However, Law said he had confirmed through legal counsel that political crimes are not covered by the extradition treaty. He added, "If the authorities had intended to extradite me, they would not have issued a visa."
The Singaporean government has reportedly taken similar actions against Hong Kong pro-democracy figures in the past. The BBC reported that in 2019, the Singaporean government fined an activist for hosting an online forum several years earlier in which Joshua Wong participated via video link.
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