A well-respected Hong Kong newspaper has axed a weekly column by a political activist and hedge fund manager as the Asian financial centre braces for a wave of protests against China's decision to rule out full democracy.
Columnist Edward Chin Chi-kin was told by the Chinese-language Hong Kong Economic Journal on Friday that his half-page weekly column that he had written since 2006 would be cancelled due to a new page design, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
Chin, a member of a movement called Occupy Central that has threatened to blockade Hong Kong's financial district amid the democracy row, branded the move "a political decision", the Post said.
Chin and the Hong Kong Economic Journal did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The editorial policy of the Hong Kong Economic Journal had changed after it was bought in 2006 by Richard Li, chairman of telecom group PCCW and the younger son of billionaire businessman Li Ka-shing, the Post quoted Chin as saying.
Richard Li was not immediately available to comment.
In a statement late on Monday, the Independent Commentators' Association, of which Chin is a member, expressed "deep concern" over the move.
"It is not hard for someone to associate the coincidence with political censorship," it added.
In July, the Hong Kong Journalists' Association said press freedom in the former British colony had entered its darkest period in decades.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland under a policy of "one country, two systems".
The pro-democracy activists want universal suffrage, but Communist Party rulers in Beijing say any candidate for the territory's chief executive has to be first approved by a nominating panel - likely to be stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists and making it almost impossible for an opposition democrat to get on the ballot.
Police on Monday used pepper spray to disperse protesters angry at China's decision. They said on Tuesday they arrested 19 people during scuffles. No one was injured.
Reuters
