Victor Mallet, the FT’s Asia news editor and a British national, earned the ire of authorities for hosting a speech by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party.

Chan attacked China as an empire trying to “annex” and “destroy” Hong Kong in a strident speech at the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), where Mallet serves as vice president.

China’s foreign ministry had asked the club to pull the talk, but the FCC refused, arguing that all sides of a debate should be heard.

Rival protesters picketed the lunchtime event and the city’s former leader Leung Chun-ying called for the club to be evicted from its government-owned premises.

The FT said Friday that immigration authorities in Hong Kong had declined to renew Mallet’s visa, a decision rights groups and media organisations said was unprecedented.

“We have asked the Hong Kong government for an urgent explanation,” the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.

“Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and its press freedoms are central to its way of life, and must be fully respected.”

‘Disturbing’

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of expression, which are protected in the city’s Basic Law and the handover agreement between China and Britain.

But the space for dissent is shrinking as Beijing flexes its muscles.

Hong Kong authorities last week banned Chan’s Hong Kong National Party, calling it a threat to national security.

It was the first ban on a political party since the territory reverted to Chinese control in 1997.

The US consulate said Mallet’s visa denial was “especially disturbing”.

“It mirrors problems faced by international journalists in the Mainland and appears inconsistent with the principles enshrined in the Basic Law,” US consulate general spokesman Harvey Sernovitz told AFP.

Hong Kong’s last British governor Chris Patten said the move was a “serious blow against free speech” as well as defying the promise of a high degree of autonomy made to the city when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

“The Hong Kong and Beijing authorities should think again and fast,” Patten told AFP.

A handful of demonstrators rallied outside Hong Kong’s immigration department on Saturday morning to protest the decision.

“No political red line. We support free press,” protesters chanted as they shredded a strip of red fabric to create a long ribbon.

The slogan was in response to comments by Hong Kong’s former leader Leung Chun-ying — whose administration faced down major youth-led democracy protests in 2014 — that discussion of Hong Kong independence “is an absolute and clear red line”.

The decision to deny Mallet a new visa was welcomed by pro-Beijing media in the city, however.

A commentary in the Ta Kung Pao newspaper said the veteran journalist had to “pay the price” for giving exposure to Hong Kong’s fringe independence movement, and said authorities may still act to evict the FCC from the premises it has occupied since 1982.

The small Japanese contingent played a humanitarian support role in the drill after US and Filipino marines made an amphibious landing to retake Philippine territory from a “terrorist” group.

Fifty unarmed Japanese soldiers in camouflage marched behind their four armoured vehicles and picked up Filipino and American troops playing the role of wounded combatants while moving inland over sand and sparse bushland.

The exercise, codenamed Kamandag (Venom), marked the first time Japanese armoured military vehicles were used on foreign soil since the country adopted a pacifist constitution after its 1945 defeat, said Japan’s Major Koki Inoue.

“Our purpose is to improve our operational capability and this is a very good opportunity for us to improve our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training,” Inoue said, adding Japan was not involved in the drill’s combat component.

The exercise was held at a Philippine navy base facing the South China Sea some 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the Scarborough Shoal, a territory claimed by Manila that was seized by China during a 2012 naval stand-off.

The Philippines has since ramped up military cooperation with Washington, its long-time ally, and also held joint naval exercises with Japan near Scarborough Shoal in 2015.

Japan has its own maritime territorial dispute with Beijing in the East China Sea.

The US military stressed that Saturday’s exercise was not aimed at China, which has also built artificial islands on disputed areas of the South China Sea and installed military facilities on them.

“It has nothing to do with a foreign nation or any sort of foreign army. This is exclusively counter-terrorism within the Philippines,” US Marine communications officer First Lieutenant Zack Doherty told AFP.

About 150 US, Filipino and Japanese troops took part in Saturday’s landing, Doherty added.

This year’s 10-day Kamandag exercises finish on Wednesday.

The department warned workers who go to Thailand illegally that they could face a prison term or a fine.

A passport is not enough documentation to go to Thailand, the department said, Myanmar workers will be allowed to stay in Thailand only if they get a visa.

Workers using fake passport and documents will face one to 10 years in prison and minimum Bt10,000 to Bt200,000 fine. Migrant workers should go to Thailand through MoU signed between the two countries and through local employment agencies, the department said.

The appointments of Thai employers must be submitted to the Thai Labour Department from Myanmar’s Labour Department.

Thai agencies can contact Myanmar agencies with the permission of Thai labour department.

Work permits must be submitted to the Ministry of Labour Employment, Immigration and Population through the military labour attaché. Then, the work permits must be submitted to the committee of education, health and human resources development. With the permission of the committee, the Thai employer, or a representative of the Thai employer, must go to Myanmar and sign the contract of the employer and the employee. If the visa is approved, the migrant worker will be sent to the work site together with the representative of the employer holding the labour identity card.

Rights groups and media organisations said the decision was unprecedented and highlighted growing threats to Hong Kong’s cherished freedoms from Beijing.

Victor Mallet, the FT’s Asia news editor, earned the ire of authorities for hosting a speech by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party.

Chan attacked China as an empire trying to “annex” and “destroy” Hong Kong in a strident speech at the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club, where Mallet serves as vice president.

China’s foreign ministry had requested the club to pull the talk, but the FCC refused, arguing that all sides of a debate should be heard.

Rival protesters picketed the lunchtime event and the city’s former leader Leung Chun-ying called for the club to be evicted from its government-owned premises.

“This is the first time we have encountered this situation in Hong Kong,” said the FT, in a statement confirming the British citizen had been denied a visa renewal.

“We have not been given a reason for the rejection.”

Hong Kong’s last British governor Chris Patten said the move was a “serious blow against free speech” as well as defying the promise of a high degree of autonomy made to the city when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

“The Hong Kong and Beijing authorities should think again and fast,” Patten told AFP.

The FCC demanded an explanation from the government for what it called an “extraordinary move”.

“In the absence of any reasonable explanation, the FCC calls on the Hong Kong authorities to rescind their decision,” the club said.

Hong Kong’s immigration department declined to comment on Mallet’s case.

– Downward spiral –

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, including freedom of expression which are protected by a handover agreement between China and Britain.

But the space for dissent is shrinking as Beijing flexes its muscles.

Hong Kong authorities last week banned Chan’s Hong Kong National Party, calling it a threat to national security.

It was the first ban on a political party since 1997.

Mallet’s visa denial indicated a “quickening downward spiral for human rights in Hong Kong”, said Human Rights Watch senior researcher Maya Wang.

“The Hong Kong government is now following Beijing’s leads in acting aggressively towards those whose views the authorities dislike.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which deals with its China relations, said it was aware of suggestions that Mallet’s visa had not been renewed because of his link to Chan’s speech at the FCC and warned the move would “further suppress Hong Kong’s freedom of the press and freedom of speech’.

A string of incidents including the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers and the ousting of six elected opposition lawmakers in recent years have fuelled concern that Chinese authorities are undermining freedom in Hong Kong.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said the Hong Kong government’s “vindictive” actions towards Mallet would further dent the city’s reputation for a free press.

“Hong Kong is like a sinking boat, going down fast,” she said.

The Seoul Central District Court also ordered a fine of 13 billion won ($11.5 million) and the forfeiture of 8.27 billion won. Prosecutors had demanded 20 years in jail, a 15 billion won fine and the forfeiture of 11.1 billion won against Lee.

“As a president who was given great authority from the people, he had the responsibility to use his power according to the Constitution and for the people,” the court said.

“But from the trials we found that Lee had embezzled some 24.6 billion won via DAS over a long period of time. Considering that he was serving as a lawmaker and Seoul mayor during the period, his misconduct should be taken seriously.”

The court also said it was not appropriate for Lee to continue denying his charges, as concrete evidence was found to back the allegations. Lee had been pushing liability to his aides and subordinates, saying they committed the crimes for their own benefit and are slandering him.

Lee was in office from 2008 to 2013. He was indicted in April over 16 charges, including bribery and embezzlement.

The sentencing hearing was televised live, as the court had granted approval Tuesday, citing that it was in consideration of public interest and that people had the right to know.

But Lee was not present at the hearing. He claimed that poor health conditions prevented him from doing so.

Regarding the long-disputed ownership of the controversial DAS, an auto parts maker, the court concluded that Lee is the actual owner and that he had ordered his aides to amass slush funds. The auto parts manufacturer is owned by Lee’s eldest brother Lee Sang-eun on paper. However, the prosecution had suspected the former president used DAS to amass slush funds totaling some 34.9 billion won from 1994 to 2006.

The court, however, found Lee guilty of embezzling slush funds worth 24 billion won.

Lee has been denying the allegations, saying he does not own any shares of the auto parts company. In his final statement on Sept. 6, he said the house he lives in is the only asset he has.

Lee was accused of receiving about 11.1 billion won in bribes from the state spy agency, individuals and businesses. The prosecutors suspected the bribes included $5 million in litigation fees that Samsung allegedly paid on behalf of the auto parts maker between 2007 and 2009, as a kickback to the former president in return for the pardoning of Samsung’s former Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

The court confirmed that the former president received the kickback from Samsung. Other convictions include the abuse of power and violation of the election law.

The court, however dismissed the prosecution’s charge that Lee violated the act on the management of presidential archives. Lee was suspected of hiding some presidential documents regarding DAS, when his presidential term ended.

Lee has been detained since March 23 at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center.

Early Friday, former National Police Agency Commissioner-General Cho Hyun-oh was arrested for abusing his authority and ordering some 1,500 police officers to post online comments on social affairs favorable to former President Lee, from January 2010 to April 2012.

The Seoul court granted the arrest warrant, citing concerns over destruction of evidence. Cho is the first among top police chiefs to be arrested during a police investigation and to be detained in the police station.

“There are 32,000 attendees, more than the initial estimate [of 19,000],” Luhut said  as reported by Antara after chairing a coordination meeting to prepare for the event in Nusa Dua on Thursday.

With the latest figure, Luhut said the meetings would welcome the largest number of participants since the annual meetings were first organized in 1946. The participants consist of representatives of central banks, financial ministries, business communities and other international and regional organizations.

Initially, the National Development Planning Agency (Bapennas) estimated that the meeting would be attended by 19,000 participants, who are estimated to spend some Rp 1.5 trillion (US$98.79 million), during their stay on the island.

The government also believes the event will further promote Bali and other regions as tourist destinations.

The final coordination meeting was attended by among others, representatives of the Finance Ministry, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, the State Secretariat, the Foreign Ministry, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the Indonesian Military, State Intelligence Agency, Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Center as well as representatives from regional administrations in Bali.

The indictments were announced as Dutch security services said they had thwarted a cyber attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW — expelling four Russian agents — and after Britain and Australia blamed the GRU for plots that notably targeted the US Democratic Party and global sports bodies.

John Demers, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, confirmed the seven agents were indicted in connection to the attack on the OPCW, on football’s governing body FIFA and the US and global anti-doping agencies, and on the US nuclear energy company Westinghouse among others.

The indictments also include charges of money laundering using bitcoin, wire fraud and identify theft.

“Nations like Russia and others that engage in malicious and norm-shattering cyber and influence activities should understand the continuing and steadfast resolve of the United States and its allies to prevent, disrupt and deter such unaccountable conduct,” Demers told a news conference.

“The defendants in this case should know that justice is very patient, its reach is long and its memory is even longer,” he said.

The defendants, all Russian nationals and residents, were named as Alexei Sergeyevich Morenets, 41, Evgenii Mikhaylovich, 37, Yevgeny Serebryakov, 37, Ivan Yermakov, 32, Artem Malyshev, 30, and Dmitriy Badin, 27, and Oleg Sotnikov, 46, and Alexei Minin, 46.

While the latest case did not arise from US Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election meddling, it overlaps with it.

Yermakov, Malyshev, and Badin were among the 12 GRU officers indicted in July this year by Mueller, over alleged interference in the US polls of 2016.

Demers said the operations — dating back to 2014 — “involved sophisticated, persistent and unauthorized access into the victims’ computer networks for the purpose of stealing private or otherwise sensitive information.”

A major part of the indictment details an alleged concerted campaign by the Russians against major international sports organizations in retaliation for the International Olympic Committee’s July 2016 decision to exclude Russian atheletes from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics due to a state-backed coverup of doping.

The hackers ultimately stole and released personal files of top world athletes including tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and celebrated British cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

– Russian reaction –

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly and angrily rejected similar charges, and Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, reacting to the British and Australian claims, said that the allegations had been mixed together “indiscriminately.”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg separately warned Russia to halt its “reckless” behavior.

Canada confirmed Thursday it believes itself to have been targeted by Russian cyber attacks, citing breaches at its center for ethics in sports and at the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“The government of Canada assesses with high confidence that the Russian military’s intelligence arm, the GRU, was responsible” for these cyber attacks, the foreign ministry said in a statement.