The retired mainland official whom political celebrity Allen Lee had blamed for trying to press him over his host role in radio phone-in programme "Teacup in a Storm" appeared in public Monday to deny any blame, saying the "storm" was more of Lee's own making.

Cheng Shousan, former deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, also said it was "inconceivable" for Lee to take casual greetings as a threat to his family.

Cheng made the clarification at a press conference in Beijing Monday.

He said he had neither attempted to influence Lee over his phone-in programme nor had he intimidated Lee and his family.

Last Thursday, Lee made a statement at the Legislative Council home affairs panel, saying that on May 18, a retired mainland official surnamed "Chen" rang him to ask to see him.

"Chen" also told Lee that he had seen his wife and daughter on a public occasion years back.

Lee took the telephone call as a threat to his family and quit the phone-in programme the next morning. He said he hoped his departure would stop people like "Chen" making similar phone calls to his family.

It was confirmed Monday that the "Chen" Lee referred to was, in fact, Cheng.

"The call was picked up by Lee. I said we had not met for more than three years and asked if he would have time for a gathering," Cheng told reporters.

He recalled that he first met Lee in 1996 at the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong SAR.

"He (Lee) said he was busy as he was the host of a (radio) programme, and would not have time for lunch. He asked whether we might have tea in the afternoon if time was available. He asked me to wait for his telephone call," Cheng said.

Cheng admitted that he had mentioned Lee's wife and daughter during the conversation, saying he just wanted to refresh Lee's memory that they had met before on a public occasion. "He said he remembered it and told me his daughter was married," Cheng said.

"Throughout the telephone conversation, we had not talked about his phone-in programme," he said, adding that he was unaware of the programme "Teacup in a Storm" until he read about it in the newspapers.

Cheng, who retired in 2001 and is now editing a dictionary, categorically denied that he was instructed by the central government to influence Lee on his radio work.

Saying he had retired from the government, Cheng said he was no more connected to the "people up there".

Cheng said it was unfair to accuse him of trying to deprive Lee of his freedom of speech when they had not met and nothing of that kind had been said between them, "not even an indication".

"Freedom of speech should not be based on factual distortion. Neither should a person's happiness be based on others' pains," Cheng said.

Yet Allen Lee insisted Monday he had done nothing wrong.

He said Cheng was not one of his acquaintances. "His name is very special and I would have remembered him readily were we acquainted with each other," Lee told reporters.

"It makes little difference to me whether he is Chen or Cheng. Sorry that I don't remember him."

Lee said he would not meet Cheng even if he knew him. "There were many people out there who wanted to influence my way of hosting the programme. The pressure has ceased now that I have left the programme. Nobody will want to meet me again," he said.

'Threat official' an 'easy-going' man

The former mainland official that Allen Lee described as someone who wanted to threaten his family is an "easy-going" and "enthusiastic" person.

Executive Councillor Leung Chun-ying, former Preparatory Committee vice-chairman, said he came across Cheng Shousan at committee meetings.

"Though I don't know him well, I remember that he was earnest, serious and enthusiastic," he said.

He said it was normal for Cheng to want to call Lee when he was in Hong Kong.

"Since it's not as convenient for mainlanders to come to Hong Kong, it is very normal for them to contact old friends when they are here," Leung told China Daily.

He said Lee made a very serious allegation that somebody or the central government has pressured him. "This is not a personal matter. The issue has damaged the image of Hong Kong," Leung said.

Raymond Wu, a National People's Congress deputy and former Preparatory Committee vice-chairman, said he did not believe Cheng was trying to pressure Lee.

Wu said he was well acquainted with Cheng and had met him in Hong Kong when he was here two weeks ago.

"He called upon me while in Hong Kong and told me he would like to call upon others. But he did not say he would contact Lee," Wu said.

"Cheng is an easy-going person and not a bureaucrat. Since he worked for the Foreign Ministry and lived abroad, his style is close to that of the expatriates. It's nothing strange for him to ring old friends while in Hong Kong," Wu said.

He said Cheng had a special affection for Hong Kong and always wanted to know more about the SAR. "It's unlucky for him to get embroiled in the political swirl," he said.

(China Daily HK Edition June 1, 2004)