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Selina Cheng, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), said on Monday that its annual fundraising dinner has to be postponed after the Regal Hongkong Hotel axed its venue booking, citing “water leakage causing unstable power supply.”
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She also raised concerns about the presence of third parties for "having no legitimate reason in obstructing the association’s work," thus, attempting to harass the HKJA or exert pressure on the hotel.
The journalist body chair told a radio program this morning that the annual fundraising dinner, originally scheduled for February 15, was postponed after their hotel booking was canceled two days before the event.
She said the hotel cited “a small explosion” that caused “a water leak and power supply cutting out intermittently” when canceling the association’s venue booking.
“We offered some alternatives to the hotel, including a change of date, a change of venue within Regal, or a change of menu, all of which were rejected,” Cheng said.
However, it was reported that a Valentine’s Day matchmaking event was taking place at the function room the HKJA had booked on Friday night. Hotel staffers on site also had no knowledge of the “power failure”.
Cheng called on the hotel to give the association a full explanation, adding that the hotel should go public should they faced some harassment or pressure.
“If the reasons for the cancelation are unjustified, it would be very unfortunate for their brand,” said Cheng.
The HKJA has been facing increasing pressure from authorities since the 2019 protests after pro-Beijing voices accused the group of smearing the police force and allowing “fake journalists” to join the association.
Earlier this month, the group was forced to seek alternative plans for its annual football tournament after the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced a nearly two-month closure of a football pitch in Happy Valley where the matches were scheduled to take place.
