James Tien apologises for colleague's suggestion that Hong Kong abolish visa waiver for Indians

James Tien Pei-chun, honorary chairman of the pro-Beijing Liberal Party, apologised yesterday for one of his colleagues who called for Hong Kong to abolish its visa waiver programme for Indian nationals.

The suggestion by Dominic Lee Tsz-king, chairman of the party's youth committee, did not reflect the party's official line on the issue, Tien said, adding that he recognised the importance of Indian tourism and business for Hong Kong.

"I'd like to apologise to the Indian community. They have been a big part of Hong Kong's community for many years and have made a great contribution," the veteran lawmaker said.

"I understand the scrapping of the visa waiver would cause an inconvenience."

On Wednesday, Lee told the that the government's Security Bureau was considering his suggestion to abolish the programme in an attempt to curb the number of Indian asylum seekers.

The move was a necessary "sacrifice to protect our borders", Lee said.