A Falun Gong practitioner says she was barred from entering Macau despite a claim by the enclave's Chief Executive that there is no political blacklist of Hong Kong people.
Without commenting specifically on the case, Macau police admitted there was a list of unwelcome people with criminal records in Macau or people who they believed had criminal intentions.
The female practitioner, 49, who works in the retail industry, said: "I have no idea why I was denied entry. I could only say it was because I am a Falun Gong member."
The woman said she visited Macau for business on Tuesday. She was accompanied by several friends who are not Falun Gong practitioners.
On arrival at the ferry terminal in Macau, she said she was asked by immigration officials to wait in a room while her friends were allowed entry. After half an hour, she was denied entry and asked to return to Hong Kong. She said officials escorted her to the ferry and kept watch on her until her ferry left at 1.30pm.
The woman said she travelled to Macau for business in late February and last month without problem. She also visited Shenzhen on Monday without difficulty. "I believe Macau has tightened the immigration measures."
She said she had never taken part in protests in Macau, was not a core member of Falun Gong and did not keep a high profile in Hong Kong. She has distributed pamphlets on the sect but police have never checked her identity card or taken her name.
Leong Wai-keung, Macau's Public Security Police Force senior superintendent responsible for public relations, refused to comment on the case, citing privacy reasons. The police force heads the Immigration Department in Macau.
However, he echoed Macau Chief Executive's Edmund Ho Hau-wah's claim that there was no political blacklist of Hong Kong people. Mr Ho made the remark when he met a group of visiting Hong Kong legislators on Monday.
Mr Ho was also quoted as saying the administration would impose more stringent measures at certain times, such as when Beijing leaders were visiting.
"However, a list of unwelcome people does exist," he said. "They are those who have committed criminal offences or whom we believe have the intention to commit crime. These include terrorists whose names are supplied by Interpol. It doesn't matter whether they practise Falun Gong or not."
People on the list may be barred from entering the enclave for a period, subject to review, he said.
Mr Leong said under Macau law, non-residents were not allowed to stage protests or demonstrations.
Kan Hung-cheung, a spokesman for Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong, said there had been previous cases in which Falun Gong practitioners had been barred from entering Macau.
This happened when President Jiang Zemin attended the first anniversary of the Macau handover last December.
April 5th Action Group activists Leung Kwok-hung and Lui Yuk-lin have also been denied entry to Macau.