Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Nathan Law, who is living in exile in the UK, was denied entry to Singapore on 27 Sept. (Photo: Straits Times)
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law was stopped from entering as his presence would “not be in Singapore’s national interests”, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 29 September.
Law, who currently lives in exile in the UK, told the BBC that he arrived in Singapore on Saturday (27 Sept) to attend a “closed-door, invitation-only” conference but was detained at the border for four hours despite having a visa. “I was not asked questions and they did not give reason for the denial,” he said.
While he was granted a visa before his arrival, he would still be subject to further checks at the point of entry into Singapore, MHA said in response to queries from the Straits Times.
On Sunday, Law was put on the earliest flight back to San Francisco – where he initially departed from – after spending about 14 hours in Singapore.
The MHA added that Law is a political activist who had fled Hong Kong where police had issued a warrant of arrest against him for offences under its National Security Law.
Law, as a former Hong Kong legislator, was considered one of the most prominent figures in the city’s pro-democracy movement. He was granted asylum in the UK in 2021.
