Journalist group deplores police arrest of two reporters

The Journalists Association and the Press Photographers Association have condemned the police over the arrest of two reporters from the Next Magazine on Tuesday, RTHK reports.
The magazine also issued a separate statement criticising the police for abusing its power in an attempt to obstruct their reporters from exposing a scandal concerning a force's top brass.
According to the magazine, the reporters were detained on suspicion of loitering after they carried out an investigative reporting in Clear Water Bay, even though they had stated their identities.
After they were taken to a police station, the magazine said officers inspected the pictures taken, confiscated and photocopied the notes despite objections.
They were released after the police confirmed their identities. The chairman of the Journalists Association Chris Yeung said officers have no right to inspect journalistic materials unless there's a court order.
He said the reporters were doing a story about a senior police official. “This is a quite serious infringement of the rights of reporters,” he said.
In a Facebook post, the police said it's regrettable that the magazine claimed their reporters were "snatched away for no reason", saying the allegation is false.
It said the arrests were based on reasonable suspicion and insisted the reporters failed to provide reasonable explanation on why they were there.
The police said they will remain steadfast in carrying out duties and taking law enforcement actions, despite the "malicious attacks" by certain media.