H.k. Cops Slammed For Film-permit Policy

The Hong Kong Police has been accused of trying to censor the film industry by rejecting filming permit applications when portrayals of police officers do not meet with their approval.

Simon Cheung, of the New Generation Police Props, a company that supplies police props to film and TV shoots, told attendees at the Revitalizing Film Industry Forum that the police were now asking to review scripts before processing applications for location filming.

"We can see the police tightening their control bit by bit. While I can understand it if they reject us on the possibility that we may disturb the peace in certain areas, why do they need to look at the script? They only need to know where and when we're filming," he said.

Media Asia's upcoming $5.12 million action-thriller "Infernal Affairs" was cited by Cheung as a recent victim of the policy. In the film, Tony Leung ("In the Mood for Love") plays an undercover cop and heartthrob Andy Lau is a triad member who infiltrates the police force.

"This seriously threatens our freedom of expression," Cheung said. "In the past we've always been able to make films about any subject or genre. The public knows how to differentiate between real life and the movies."

Media Asia production chief John Chong confirmed that production members have reported police dissatisfaction with the script because the police felt it was improbable that a triad member could infiltrate the force. "I think it's just a case of the police being overly cautious," he said.

While denying that the police force has been tightening controls, a police spokesman told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that scenes that do not reflect the real work of policemen or that damage the image of the police force will be rejected.

Under Hong Kong laws, no person may wear a police uniform without the approval of the police commissioner. The same restriction applies to uniforms of all other disciplined forces.

"Same as any other responsible management of international corporations, we need to protect our corporate image or brand," Chief Superintendent William Tang of the Police Public Relations Bureau said in an interview. "This policy has been in place for decades," he added.