HONG KONG, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Three Filipina anti-WTO activists accused Hong Kong immigration officials of overreacting after they were questioned and detained six hours at the airport.
All three women were leaders of organizations planning protests at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference next week, the South China Morning Post reported. They arrived in Hong Kong with 13 others from the Philippines, all of whom were allowed entry.
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, chairwoman of the leftist political group Bayan, or New Patriotic Alliance, said she suspected she and the other two who were questioned were on an immigration blacklist.
She said the three told officials they would be attending conferences and activities related to the WTO action protest.
"Then they asked questions about who was organizing the protest, what we were bringing, were we going to shout slogans, who else from the international community was coming, etc.," she said.
The incident indicates that protesters headed to the WTO meeting may be subject to strict official scrutiny. Some 25 activists from Pakistan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka told the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO they still had not received their visas one month after filing their applications.
