Arrr, Radio Free Asia be closin' its bureau in Hong Kong 'cause o' them safety concerns under the new security law!
2024-03-29
Arrr mateys, the Radio Free Asia outpost in Hong Kong hath been shuttered for fear of the new national security law, aye, a blow to free press in the city. The pirates of censorship be tightening their grip, but fear not, we'll sail on to find new shores for truth and freedom!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, methinks the president of U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia be walkin' the plank with news that its Hong Kong bureau be closed due to safety concerns under a new national security law, shiver me timbers! Bay Fang, the head honcho of RFA, announced that they be pullin' out their full-time crew from Hong Kong, but keepin' their official media registration afloat.Arrr, the scallywags in Hong Kong be callin' RFA a 'foreign force,' makin' it harder for them to navigate the treacherous waters with Article 23 in play, says Fang. This move by RFA be a clear signal that the winds be blowin' against a free press in the city since the new security law be enacted.The salty dogs in the House Foreign Affairs Committee be raisin' their spyglasses in concern over RFA's shutdown, seein' it as a broadside against free speech and media freedoms. The Asia-Pacific bureau director of Reporters Without Borders be cryin' foul, callin' for other democracies to scuttle the efforts of Chinese authorities and restore press freedom in Hong Kong.Hong Kong, once a beacon of media freedom, be seein' dark days ahead with the new security law broadsiding journalists. RFA be sailin' into uncharted waters with the closure of their Hong Kong bureau, but vow to keep their content afloat for their audience in Hong Kong and mainland China.