'No Proper Reason Given For RTHK Probe Relaunch'

The chair of RTHK's staff union Gladys Chiu said on Monday that the deputy director of broadcasting, Eugene Fung, struggled to properly explain the reason for reopening an investigation into a reporter, citing only "procedural mistakes".

Chiu was speaking after the staff held a meeting with management over the decision to relaunch an investigation into the conduct of reporter Nabela Qoser.

Qoser was cleared of wrongdoing by the public broadcaster's management after complaints about her sharp questioning of officials, but she was told last month the probe had been relaunched and her probation as a civil servant extended for another 120 days.

Chiu said it was hard to understand why a fresh probe was needed.

"Fung believed that after looking at certain documents that it was necessary to relaunch the investigation because he was afraid there might be certain procedural mistakes," she said.

Meanwhile a group of activists led by pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo held a demonstration outside RTHK's headquarters in Kowloon Tong, calling on the broadcaster to scrap the relaunched investigation.

Mo and other members of Public Service Broadcasting Now said they had collected almost 59,000 signatures in support of the reporter.

"In the rule of law, you cannot have double jeopardy. You cannot be tried on some supposed offence twice, right?" she asked.

"If they don't [scrap the re-investigation] they will certainly give the impression that RTHK has indeed succumbed, bowed to government pressure, when this is supposed to be a public broadcaster, the definition of which is [it] should be free from commercial and political pressure."