Press Freedom Intact Since Handover: CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said press freedom is enshrined in the Basic Law, and it has always been safeguarded and upheld in the SAR since the handover.

Ahead of the Executive Council meeting, the chief executive was asked by the media if there were implications for Hong Kong's press freedom when the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) cancelled this year's Human Rights Press Awards and a political commentator opted to leave the city.

"From time to time, there would be some concerns and worries arising from isolated incidents. So I would say that the two examples you have given are those isolated incidents, which might have given people that impression, especially people who tended to misunderstand the constitutional safeguards for press freedom, and that is one has to observe the law in exercising your freedom," Lam said.

"So I have no particular comment on those two incidents that you have quoted, because the first incident is an award event which was organised by a private organisation. If that same organisation decided not to hold that event, a government official could not comment on it. The answer has to be given by that particular organisation."

The FCC announced on Monday the suspension of the Human Rights Press Awards, citing the "significant areas of uncertainty" for journalists in Hong Kong.

Political commentator Chung Kim-wah recently left Hong Kong for the UK.

Lam added that the Basic Law guarantees people's freedom to enter or leave the SAR.