DHAKA: Three Hong Kong student leaders were stopped from boarding a flight to Beijing on Saturday to take their fight for greater democracy directly to the Chinese government after airline authorities said their travel permits were invalid.

The students, led by Hong Kong Federation of Students’ (HKFS') leader Alex Chow, had planned to go to Beijing with the intention of meeting Chinese premier Li Keqiang as efforts to reach agreement with officials in Hong Kong had failed.

A Cathay Pacific spokesman told the local media that the Chinese authorities had told the airline the students’ travel permits were invalid, reports The Straits Times.

‘We have received information from relevant departments on the mainland that the Home Return Permits of the passengers in question have been cancelled,’ a Cathay Pacific staff member told the trio, footage from Cable Television News showed.

The permit, issued by the mainland authorities, allows Hong Kong residents free travel within the Chinese mainland.

‘Residents holding valid travel documents shall be free to leave the Region without special authorisation,’ a spokesman for the city’s immigration department told the media on Friday.

‘Cathay has confirmed that their (students’) return home card has been cancelled by the mainland authorities, so they could not get the required certificates to get on to the plane,’ Yvonne Leung, the representative of HKFS, told reporters.

‘Airline officials informed (the leaders) they did not have the required travel documents to get on the plane,’ Lester Shum, deputy secretary-general of HKFS, told reporters.

The student leaders left the airport shortly after.

BDST: 1745 HRS, NOV 15, 2014