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Tanna Chong

The sculptor of the Goddess of Democracy statue that was seized by police on Saturday and later returned to activists was sent back to the United States yesterday after being denied entry to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the Chinese University of Hong Kong last night rejected an application from the student union to place sculptor Chen Weiming's 6.4-metre replica of the statue in the campus. 
The university said in a letter to board members, staff, students and alumni that a committee agreed unanimously to stick to the principle of political neutrality and therefore did not accept the application. The president of the student union described the decision as 'shameless'.
Chen, a New Zealand citizen who now lives in the US, flew out in the morning after being detained for eight hours.
The removal of the sculptor, who has visited Hong Kong twice before, came two days ahead of the 21st anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen crackdown. 
Chen's lawyer, James To Kun-sun,  said the artist had intended to examine the statue for any damage incurred during its seizure at the Times Square piazza on Saturday and when it was taken to the North Point police station.
Although this work and another seized sculpture were returned to activists on Tuesday, the seizure drew criticism yesterday as lawmakers debated an annual motion to vindicate the 1989 democracy movement, which was vetoed for the 12th time since the handover. 
Chen arrived at Chek Lap Kok airport from the US on Tuesday night.
'When I accompanied him during a two-hour questioning session, I kept asking the officers if he would be repatriated but they said no decision had been made,' To said. 'But 15 minutes after I left at 3am they said Chen would be repatriated.'
To, a Democratic Party legislator, requested an appeal but by the time he received the necessary document from the immigration office, Chen had already been put on a plane. 
'I requested the legal order to be faxed from the immigration office. Before I received the document at 9.50am, I was told at 9.40am Chen was on the plane,' To said.
In a statement, Chen said the Hong Kong government's denial of his entry went against the 'one country, two systems' principle.
'Hong Kong is following the order of the central government. The confiscation of my statue was due to the sensitivity of history that happened 21 years ago, which was reflected in my sculpture,' Chen said. 
Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong  said: 'The Immigration Department works in accordance with established policies and laws of Hong Kong. It has to take into account the interests of Hong Kong when deciding who can come and who cannot come.
'This is totally unrelated to so-called political suppression,' Lee said when asked if the government had a blacklist  of travellers. 
The sculpture is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy, which mainland students built during the 1989 democracy movement. Displayed by the alliance on the piazza of Times Square, Causeway Bay, on Saturday, it was confiscated by police after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said the group had failed to apply for an entertainment permit.  
Pan-democrats condemned the confiscation as suppression of free speech during a debate in the Legislative Council of a motion, tabled by Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan,  urging that the June 4 incident not be forgotten and the 1989 pro-democracy movement be vindicated. 
All 23 pan-democrat lawmakers took part in the debate. Only two from the pro-government camp, Liberal Party chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee  and financial services' representative Chim Pui-chung,  spoke.
While the 23 pan-democrats and independent Dr Leung Ka-lau backed the motion, it was defeated because of 15 votes against and 10 abstentions. The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions voted against the motion. The Liberals and the Economic Synergy group abstained.




Goddess of Democracy sculptor denied entry