BANGKOK — The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow Edward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret US government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom. A travel alert, dated Monday on a Home Office letterhead, said carriers should deny Snowden boarding because “the individual is highly likely to be refused entry to the UK.” The Associated Press saw a photograph of the document taken Friday at a Thai airport. A British diplomat confirmed that the document was genuine and was sent out to airlines around the world. Airlines in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore also confirmed the alert had been issued. The diplomat said such alerts are issued to carriers that fly into the UK and any carrier that brings Snowden will be liable to be fined 2,000 British pounds. He said Snowden would likely have been deemed by the Home Office to be detrimental to the “public good.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Snowden, 29, revealed himself Sunday as the source of top-secret documents about US National Security Agency surveillance programs that were reported earlier by the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. He is believed to be in Hong Kong. Snowden, an American citizen, has yet to be charged with any crime and no warrants have been issued for his arrest. Even without charges, Snowden's world is now shrinking. If other countries follow Britain's example and bar his entry, Snowden would have few options for seeking refuge if he were not allowed to stay in his preferred sanctuary of Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory. China has not made any public comment on what it plans to do with Snowden or how long he would be welcome to stay in Hong Kong. A popular Communist Party-backed newspaper, however, has urged China's leadership to milk Snowden for information rather than expel him, saying his revelations concern China's national interest. If the US eventually calls for his return, Snowden does have the option of applying for asylum or refugee status in Hong Kong, which maintains a Western-style legal system. If Snowden chose to fight it, his extradition to the US could take years to make its way through Hong Kong's courts. US Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters in Dublin on Friday that the case was still being investigated, but said he is “confident that the person who is responsible will be held accountable.” Experts believe Snowden's travel options are narrow because of the intense publicity generated by the case and the wide circulation of his photo, which is also contained on the carrier alert. Britain previously found itself wrapped up in a secret documents leak scandal when Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was granted political asylum last year at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He is facing extradition to Sweden where he is wanted on accusations of sex crimes, and has expressed fears that if returned to Sweden he could also face extradition to the US. Meanwhile, two Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers Friday urged US President Barack Obama not to prosecute Edward Snowden for exposing secret surveillance programs, as supporters prepared for the city's first major rally calling for his protection. Pro-democracy lawmakers Gary Fan and Claudia Mo urged the Obama administration not to penalize Snowden for what they said was serving the public good. In a joint letter to the US president, they said Snowden may have “done liberal democracy a service by stimulating serious discussion in many countries of the extent to which surveillance is acceptable.” — Agencies
