MANILA: Former Philippine foreign minister Albert del Rosario, a critic of Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea, was denied entry to Hong Kong on Friday and sent home, his lawyer said.
“He’s been excluded and deported,” del Rosario’s lawyer Anne Marie Corominas told AFP, adding he was not given a reason for the denial.
Earlier he said he was barred from immediately entering Hong Kong and was held at the airport for unclear reasons.
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario tells The Associated Press by telephone that he flew to Hong Kong on Friday for a business meeting but was blocked by immigration officers from entering. He says he was later brought and held in another airport area.
Del Rosario says immigration personnel told him an unspecified “case” is the reason why he was not allowed to enter the territory immediately.
He adds that he told the airport authorities he was traveling on a diplomatic passport and cannot be held under the Vienna Convention.
