NB: This press
release is also available on the Internet:
http://www.aidoh.dk/GB-Expelled
Galschiot expelled as revenge for Dalai Lama visit?
As Danish sculptor Jens
Galschiot landed
in Hongkong on Saturday 30 May he was expelled after 5 hours of
interrogation and sent back with the first plane. China will with this
expulsion of a Danish citizen humiliate an punish the Danish government for the
meeting with the Dalai Lama – so the rumours circulating in Hong Kong.
The Danish sculptor had come to Hong Kong with his two sons and a documentary filmmaker
to participate in the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre on
4th June. Danish consul Tomas Andersen had come to the gate to meet
the artist. Numerous reporters had booked a return ticket to catch the
opportunity for an interview before Galschiot’s passing the pass control.
At the pass control Jens Galschiot was sorted out for
interrogation. The other three
members of the Danish group entered smoothly. The interrogation started
immediately, although Galschiot requested the assistance of the Danish consul
and Albert Ho, MP and of the most respected lawyers of Asia. Both of them had
come to the airport for this very reason. Only after 4 – 5 hours of
interrogation the consul and the lawyer were allowed to meet Galschiot. The
consul had been calling Immigration every 20 minutes requesting contact to the
Danish sculptor. After ended interrogation Galschiot was escorted to the
airplane.
”I was escorted by 15 airport officials
and a guy filmed the scene. It must have been a peculiar view. They were all
circulating around me and conducted me in and out of lifts and through various
backdoors. Finally a short bus trip brought me to the waiting plane which I
boarded by a special staircase outside the boarding area. Presumably they were
keen to avoid photo documentation of the expulsion. Maybe the authorities felt
shameful of the perspective of having photos of the expulsion published in the
media. Anyway, I was constantly filmed as long as was in charge of the
immigration authorities. I don’t know for what purpose” – Jens Galschiot
explains on his arrival in the airport of Copenhagen Sunday morning.
Astonishment at the expulsion. So was the
reaction of the artist, the Danish consul and the lawyer Albert Ho. For months
there had been a vivid correspondence and a debate about Jens Galschiot’s claim
to receive an advance
admission to Hong Kong. The issue was debated in the press, even among the
PM’s of Hong Kong. The President
of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (parliament) had taken contact to the
secretary of security. So it seemed likely that the artist would be allowed
entry to Hong Kong, to join the anniversary ceremonies and to hand over two
sculptures as a gift – one to the Hong Kong students and one for the
Legislative Council.
“On this positive background I decided to book the
tickets”, Jens
Galschiot says and continues: “Albert asked me if there had been some event
during the last couple days ahead of my trip to Hong Kong that might have
changed the authorities’ apparently positive response about my allowance to
entry.
I could not instantly find any explanation, until I
read the speculations in the Hong Kong press that my expulsion might be a
reaction on the Danish Prime minister’s
meeting with the Dalai Lama. This meeting had triggered an irate protest from
the Chinese Embassy. So it seems plausible to conclude that we have to do with
an act of revenge by the Chinese regime. The expulsion of me as a Danish
citizen is to be seen as an admonition and an attempt to humiliate the Danish government.
Even if the Hongkongers were promised the principle of
‘One country – Two systems” when
they were reunited with China in 1997, obviously a constantly bigger part of
the administration of Hong Kong is governed from Beijing, and it is my clear
impression that China is the instigator of this expulsion.
This expulsion makes me really angry! With the support from many of the parliament members
of Hong Kong and from almost all parties of the Danish parliament and the
Danish Consulate in Hong Kong, I have tried for months to get a clarification
about whether I am unwanted in Hong Kong, because I would prevent this to
happen. Dozens of letters in this case have been exchanged and kilometres of
articles in the press have been written. Nothing has been hidden. All documents
are published on my website
and the director of Hong Kong’s migration authorities has personally told
me that like all other EU citizens I have free entrance to Hong Kong.
I have to travel 12.000 km just for being questioned for 5 hours in the airport
before being sent back with the first flight. And even without any reason. It’s
really unfair! I am totally without legal rights when I cannot beforehand know
whether I am unwanted or not. This procedure is not worthy a community founded
on the rule of law. But the problem is maybe that Hong Kong is developing into
a community which is not based on the rule of law.
Maybe Denmark and EU should consider cancelling or
changing the agreements
about free entrance to and from Hong Kong. Obviously these rules don’t work any
more, because China has decided to use the entry rules to Hong Kong as a
political manifestation, both towards their own citizens in Hong Kong and the
Danish government, that they will not tolerate criticism of the Chinese regime.
In my situation I would prefer a visa
demand, so that I would know beforehand whether I could get in or not.
China critics are without legal rights when they want
to go into Hong Kong.
This lack of rights is a disaster, because Hong Kong is the only place on
Chinese soil where criticism can be aired. Hong Kong is the hub of the Chinese
democracy movement – a refuge for democracy fighters.
I expect the Danish government to take action, to make clear how the rules should be in the future,
and to protest against the expulsion of a peaceful Danish citizen, who
cooperates with a lawful Chinese democratic movement. Especially because the
expulsion is probably a direct consequence of the fact that the Danish Prime
minister has chosen to meet the Dalai Lama. A decision that I fully support.
Galschiot’s
two sons are still in Hong Kong and will take part in the planned events as
representatives of the artist. The Danish documentary photographer has also decided
to stay in order to cover the events.
Contact addresses and further information and
background:
All documents and plenty of photos are available on the web: www.aidoh.dk/4June09
The Danish group in
Hong Kong:
Lasse Galschiot Markus, mobile +852 5174 6301
Kasper Galschiot Markus (photos), mobile +852
5174 6300
Niller Madsen (documentary footage and video),
mobile: +45 40 215 415
Contact to the
Hong Kong Alliance (the democracy movement):
Secretary Ocean Fung, +852 2782 6111
E-mail: contact@alliance.org.hk, Internet www.alliance.org.hk
Contact to Jens
Galschiot in Denmark:
Workshop in Odense +45 6618 4058, mobile +45
4044 7058
Private +45 6614 4038
E-mail: aidoh@aidoh.dk, Internet: www.aidoh.dk
Contact to the Consulate General of Denmark in Hong Kong:
Consul General Jørgen Møllegaard
Vice-consul Tomas Andersen (assisted Jens
Galschiot in the HK airport)
Tel. +852 2827 8101, hkggkl@um.dk
Internet: www.gkhongkong.um.dk/da
Immigration Department in Hong Kong:
The Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
Tel. +852 2182 1483, E-mail: enquiry@immd.gov.hk
Contact to the President of Hong Kong’s parliament:
The President of the LegCo,
Hon Jasper Tsang Yok-sing
Room 109, Legislative
Council Building
8 Jackson Road, Central
E-mail: plc@legco.gov.hk