Cantonese Reporters Win Hong Kong Press Prize

2005-06-22

Cantonese Reporters Win Hong Kong Press PrizeHONG KONG, June 20--Two RFA reporters have won prestigious Human Rights Press Awards for their Cantonese-language radio broadcasts.

"The fact that the only grand prize radio winners are Radio Free Asia reporters is very significant," RFA President Dick Richter said of the competition, organized by Amnesty International Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong.

"It underscores the new difficulties facing by the local Hong Kong media since China absorbed the territory in 1997, and it demonstrates the value of RFA's consistent excellence as a substitute source of news and information," Richter said. "Both award-winners, Lillian Cheung and Gregory Ho, are talented reporters who know a good story and are not afraid to go after it."

In a June 12 ceremony in Hong Kong, Ho was recognized for a feature on Chinese controls over short message systems (SMS) (text-messaging). Cheung was recognized for her story on abuses in prison against June 4, 1989 demonstrators. Cheung won the same award in 2004.

The Amnesty International Hong Kong Section, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong, co-organized the 9th Annual Human Right Press Awards and the Awards Presentation Ceremony, awarding 10 Prizes and five Merits in English categories, 10 prizes and 13 merits awarded to Chinese entries, and 1 Prize and 11 Merits in Photography. There were 131 Chinese-language submissions and 66 English-language submissions.