Accra: A pro-democracy campaigner who fled Hong Kong has been denied entry to Singapore despite being granted a visa, with the city-state saying his presence "would not be in its national interests". Nathan Law, who lives in exile in the UK, said he arrived in Singapore on Saturday to attend a "closed-door, invitation-only" conference but was detained at the border for hours before he was deported.
According to BBC, Law stated that he was not questioned nor provided a reason for the denial of entry. A spokesperson for Singapore's immigration department confirmed that a visa holder is still subject to further checks upon entry. Nathan Law was reportedly referred for "questioning, and immigration and security assessment" upon his arrival.
The Singaporean government has previously expressed a firm stance against the importation of external politics into the country. In a statement, Law speculated that the denial could be politically motivated, hinting at possible influence from the People's Republic of China. Law had been granted a visa for a "one-time entry for a few days," which was approved three weeks prior to his planned visit. He was traveling on a UK Refugee Travel Document.
Following his detention, Law was placed on the earliest available flight back to San Francisco, his point of departure. The conference organizers declined to comment on the situation when approached by the BBC, which also reached out to Hong Kong and British authorities for their input.
During a routine press briefing, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry highlighted that every country has the right to manage its immigration policies. The spokesperson labeled Law as "an anti-China, anti-Hong Kong troublemaker" who is on Hong Kong's wanted list.
Nathan Law, a former legislator in Hong Kong, became a notable figure in the pro-democracy movement and fled the region in 2020 following China's implementation of a sweeping national security law. This law targets acts of secession, subversion, and terrorism, with penalties extending to life imprisonment. In 2021, Law was granted asylum in the UK. Hong Kong authorities have offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of Law and other activists.
This incident is not the first involving Singapore's actions against Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. In 2019, a Singaporean activist was fined for hosting an online forum featuring activist Joshua Wong in a teleconference several years earlier.