Thousands in Hong Kong Protest Government’s TV Decision

October 21, 2013 Leave a comment

Thousands in Hong Kong Protest Government’s TV Decision

Thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong yesterday protested the government’s refusal to explain why it denied a free-to-air license to Hong Kong Television Network Ltd. even as it granted two other permits. Black-clad marchers waved banners showing officials on puppet strings after the government granted the first free-TV licenses in almost 40 years to PCCW Ltd. (8) and I-Cable Communications Ltd. (1097) last week. Police said that there were 21,800 protesters at the demonstration’s peak, while a spokesman for HKTV said at least 10,000 people had marched as of 3 p.m. yesterday, Radio Television Hong Kong reported. A call to the police’s public relations office yesterday went unanswered.There was no political consideration in the licensing decision, a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement yesterday. Decisions regarding free TV license applications are made by the Chief Executive in Council, and the discussion content of Executive Council meetings isn’t made public. “There should be no exception with regard to the discussion of the free TV license applications this time,” the spokesman said.

The protests come a year after 10-day demonstrations prompted the government to scrap a three-year deadline to implement mainland-prescribed national education classes. Tens of thousands of people rallied in Hong Kong on July 1, the 16th anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China demanding the government address a widening wealth gap and introduce broader democracy.

HKTV Shares

“The government, including the People’s Republic of China government, want to control the media and to manipulate the mindset of us so they can format a group of new Hong Kong people who only know to follow their instructions,” said Stephanie Tang, 33, a freelancer who participated in the protest yesterday. “We want to tell the PRC that the Hong Kong people are not idiots. Don’t cheat us.”

Politicians including Tanya Chan and Audrey Yu of the Civic Party and Emily Lau from the Democratic Party attended the rally.

The granting of the two licenses needs final approval, and the government hasn’t precluded handing out more permits in the future. Hong Kong last granted a new license in 1975 to Commercial Television Ltd., which ceased operations after three years.

“There is no question of protecting existing interest,” according to the government statement yesterday. “Neither is there any political consideration.”

Hong Kong Television (1137) has filed an application for permission to file for judicial review, the government statement said. Shares of Hong Kong Television have slumped 30 percent since the licensing decision announcement on Oct. 15. PCCW has jumped 4.6 percent and I-Cable Communications has surged 138 percent.

“It’s not about any one company,” Simon Ngai, 29, a social worker said at the protest. “In Hong Kong nowadays, the government says they don’t have to give you a reason or an appeal procedure, nothing — it’s not justice.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Eleni Himaras in Hong Kong at ehimaras@bloomberg.net

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