WASHINGTON: The US news outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA) said on Friday (Mar 29) that it had closed its office in Hong Kong over staff safety concerns after the city enacted a new national security law.
The Chinese finance hub last week brought into force a homegrown security law - commonly known as Article 23 - that introduced tough penalties for crimes such as treason, espionage and external interference.
RFA president and CEO Bay Fang said in a statement that the company no longer had full-time staff in Hong Kong and has closed its physical office, citing "concerns about the safety of RFA staff and reporters".
"Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a 'foreign force', raise serious questions about our ability to operate in safety with the enactment of Article 23," Fang said.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on "operational decisions of individual organisations", but said authorities "strongly disapprove of and condemn all scaremongering and smearing remarks" in relation to the national security law.
"To single out Hong Kong and suggest that journalists would only experience concerns when operating here but not in other countries would be grossly biased, if not outrageous," the spokesperson told AFP on Friday.
Hong Kong's security chief Chris Tang slammed RFA last month for "smearing" Article 23 when it reported that some new offences would target the media.