Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki held a demonstration outside the Myanmar consulate general on Wednesday to protest the jailing of reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
Kwok condemned the Myanmar government for its persecution of the Rohingya people, and urged the release of the two reporters.
Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were found guilty of breaching the Official Secrets Act and jailed for seven years on Monday. They had been investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men by Rakhine Buddhists and Myanmar troops.
Kwok and around seven protesters arrived at the consulate at noon but found the consulate to be closed. Security officials blocked the protesters from delivering their letter at the front door, so they placed the letter on the ground, InMedia reported.
Kwok said he contacted Myanmar’s consul-general beforehand, but she refused to accept his letter.
Kwok called Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi “shameful” and expressed disappointment in the government’s treatment of the Rohingya and the reporters.
He added that the situation in Myanmar was about universal principles, and Hong Kong people should be concerned about all human rights infringements.
“If we don’t speak up, then when unfortunate incidents befall Hong Kongers, we can’t blame the international community for ignoring Hong Kong,” he said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Civic Party said it “believes that the Myanmar government is responsible for the ethnic cleansing and any officers involved should stand in the courtroom to face relevant legal proceeding.”
It also called on the Burmese government to respect and protect the basic rights of the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
Two other groups, the League of Social Democrats and Socialist Action, said they planned to protest at the Myanmar Consulate against the political persecution of the Rohingya people on Thursday.
HKFP has contacted the Myanmar Consulate General for comment.
