Snowden case may hinder HK's no-visa status  

美称斯诺登事件或影响香港争取赴美免签

据香港《明报》报道，美国中情局前雇员斯诺登事件引发的风波扩大，美国国务院发言人昨(26日)表示，香港处理斯诺登的做法可能会影响香港争取纳入美国免签计划。港府昨以高姿态回应美方，保安局长黎栋国指，至昨日美方仍未能回应有否入侵香港计算机网络，对此感到非常失望。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Hong Kong's refusal to transfer Edward Snowden may hamper the progress of Hong Kong residents' application for visa-free access to the US, a spokesman for the State Department in Washington warned on Wednesday.

Asked about the effect of the Snowden case on Hong Kong's bid to join the visa waiver program, which allows 90-day visa-free access for business or tourism, spokesman Patrick Ventrell said there would be an impact "when we have a breakdown on cooperation on such a key issue."

The HKSAR government has long been lobbying countries and regions in the world, including the United States, to grant visa-free access to Hong Kong residents. Now it is hard to gauge when Washington will include Hong Kong into its visa-waiver program, according to an official at the Security Bureau.

Under current regulations, Hong Kong residents who want to travel to the United States must undergo an interview before being approved for travel.

"As Hong Kong is yet to be part of the visa-free program, the number of Hong Kong travelers to the US is not likely to drop sharply in the wake of the Snowden incident," said Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, adding that the shrinking number of Hong Kong travelers to the US is mainly due to increased travel destination choices and the inconvenience caused by tighter security in the wake of 9/11.

He predicted that at least 20 percent more Hong Kong residents will travel to the US if granted visa-free access.

Lai Tung-Kwok, HKSAR Security Secretary, on Wednesday expressed disappointment that the US has not responded to an official demand for an explanation over computer hacking claims made by Snowden.