Lee Kwan-ah (center), a journalist from Radio Television Hong Kong who publicly asked Lam to “speak human” at a press conference, was unreasonably suppressed by the Hong Kong government. (Video screenshot)
The RTHK journalist Lee Kwan-ah, who had loudly urged Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to “speak humanely”, was suppressed by the Hong Kong government, and her probationary period was extended for no reason, and she was forced to undergo an investigation. On May 4, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) confirmed that Lee was not rehired and that she would face unemployment.
The Central News Agency reported that the RTHK programmers’ union responded to the media on May 4, confirming that Lee Kwan-ah had not been reappointed and would leave her job at the end of May.
Earlier, RTHK had twice extended Lee’s probationary period for no reason, with the second one ending on May 30.
Lee Kwan-ah is a Hong Kong-Pakistani national who worked as an assistant program director at RTHK on a civil service probationary contract. During the anti-sending campaign in 2019, Lee Kwan-ah was in the public eye when she loudly urged Carrie Lam to answer questions positively and “speak human” at a press conference.
In the evening of July 21 last year, an incident in which gangsters attacked people indiscriminately in the Yuen Long subway shocked all walks of life in Hong Kong. 22 afternoon, Lam held a press conference, but she was vague about the violence in Yuen Long.
The police have been asked by the police and the then Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lo Wai Chung, whether the incident last night was a joint performance of the government, the police and the triads. (meaning: the triads and police acting together)”
Lam Cheng delayed to give a positive answer to the question, Lee Kwan-ah and repeatedly asked, “whether the government, the police and the triads together in a big dragon and phoenix?” The first time I saw him, I asked him, “Did you get any sleep last night?”, “Did you get any sleep last night? The government’s response to the question was very positive. The public has been waiting for a long time, many people could not sleep last night! “Don’t be like that, talk to me! Please!”
Afterwards, Lin and his team hurriedly ended the press conference and left amidst the booing of reporters. The video was posted on the Internet, triggering hot debate among netizens, who praised Li Junya’s question “to the point” and “heart-warming”. Since then, it has become a buzzword in Hong Kong news that Lin Zheng “speaks human language”. (Click to watch the video)
However, Li Junya was also suppressed by the Hong Kong government for this reason. Her three-year probationary period at RTHK, which was due to expire on October 3, 2020, was extended by 120 days for no apparent reason under pressure from the government’s Commerce and Economic Development Bureau.
The RTHK union considered the extension of the probationary period “highly unusual” and questioned the “unjustified suppression” of Lee.
Subsequently, RTHK signed another 120-day employment contract with Lee. Now, a decision has been made not to renew her contract, and she is facing unemployment.
The media industry in Hong Kong has been under tremendous pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on the news industry since the anti-sending campaign, and on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, the Hong Kong Journalists Association announced its 2020 Hong Kong Press Freedom Index. The survey results show that more than 90% of journalists believe that Hong Kong’s press freedom has regressed, and the rating of press freedom has dropped to 32.1 marks, a record low in 8 years.
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