#Censorship #University #Academia
Now TV News Segment Removed Because News Chief “Personally Thinks it was Inappropriate”

A Now TV news segment was ordered to be removed by News Chief Bill Chan, claiming that he “personally thinks it was inappropriate”. The now-removed clip showed Ip Kin-yuen, a legislative councilor of the education sector expressing concerns about Max Shen, allegedly a Communist Party member, being nominated to be the vice-chancellor at the University of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) issued a statement saying that the removal of news segments is rare, and it is concerning whether the NowTV is self-censoring since the news report touched upon the topic of Max Shen’s status as a Communist Party member.

HKJA urged NowTV Chan to further explain and clarify his measures on handling this news segment in order to allay any public concern.

Source: Stand News #Oct26

===
Also see

New #HKU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Candidate is Reportedly a Chinese Communist Party Member, Lawmaker Challenges Hiring of Mainland Chinese Scholars a Practice of Cronyism
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/26187

#WhiteTerror #University
CityU bans any modifications of its anthem and emblem; Students' violations will stay on record till 7 years after graduation

The City University of Hong Kong (#CityU) has added a new clause banning any acts that may "tarnish the image and reputation of the university", including the unauthorized use, modification, damage and/or parody of the school anthem, emblem, and/or any element representative of the university.

Source: Apple Daily; Stand News #Nov2
https://bit.ly/382NdHV

#Education #FreeSpeech

#PoliceState #Censorship #WhiteTerror
Four Staff Associations in the Police Force demand University President to “take responsibility” on his “untrue” criticisms against police brutality"

It has almost been one year since the police siege of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK). On Nov 6, 2020, the Police Force Council Staff Associations including the Hong Kong Superintendents' Association, Police Inspectors' Association, Overseas Inspectors' Association and Junior Police Officers' Association issued a letter to the president of CUHK Prof. Rocky Tuan.

In the letter, as the founder of Hong Kong Coalition, Tuan was criticised for violating “the ethos of a seeking truth as a professional”, and made “untrue claims” during the siege last year.

Ip Kin-yuen, a pro-democracy lawmaker for Education constituency, described the letter as flippant, frivolous and ironic. Also, he stated it was disrespectful that they addressed the letter to Tuan, a key person in Hong Kong’s academic and education sector.

In Ip’s opinion, Tuan’s open letter issued in Oct last year condemned police who were proven to use excessive violence against protestors. The letter was fair and unbiased, but not against the entire police force.

Source: Apple Daily #Nov6
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201106/TA3DLHNHDZA3PB27ET2AJWVREU/

#RockyTuan #CUHK #University #Education #CUHKSiege

#LastYearToday #CUHKSiege #NeverForget #NeverForgive
#CUHK Management Censors Protest Photos Displayed in Exhibition; Flags with “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” Covered

Joint Students' Unions of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) organised a photo exhibition to commemorate the "CUHK Battle" where pro-democracy Hongkongers defended the campus from police siege during the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Protests.

Read more:
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/26440b

In a call to the organisers, the university management was concerned with some wordings that might deem provocative. In the exhibition, the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” which appear on some flags in several photos, were seen covered by black paper.

The provisional president of the Students' Union (#CUSU) pointed out that students had organised many exhibitions on the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen massacre. The university authorities had never expressed any concerns .

However, this time the university management called the students union several times and clearly stated that such an event would cause "dissatisfaction among some alumni, or the students' union would be targeted".

Au is very surprised by such reaction. He worries that the freedom of expression in the university is no longer safeguarded and the #CUSU would face difficulties when organizing similar events.

Au also pointed out that it is very normal for students to care about politics. He doesn’t think that the university president Rocky Sung-chi Tuan, who is currently attacked by Beijing loyslists, has sided with any parties. Au found it absurd for the Police Officers' Association to issue an open letter to condemn Tuan.

Source: Stand News #Nov11
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/3634306906654903/

#RockyTuan

#Mainlandization #Sinicization
#Poll: 64% Respondents Consider #HKU's Appointment of Mainland Professors as Vice-Presidents as Against Principle of Fairness

The governing council of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) appointed two professors from mainland China, Max Shen Zuojan and Gong Peng, as vice-presidents. Shen is suspected to be a Communist Party member but the council clarified that the allegations are found to be unsubstantiated.

The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (#PORI) has interviewed 5,767 Hong Kong citizens in November 2020. The survey asked the question: 'The University of Hong Kong recently appointed two scholars from Tsinghua University, Max Shen and Peng Gong, as Vice-Presidents. How much do you consider the appointment to comply with, or not comply with, the principle of fairness?'.

89% of the pro-democracy respondents said the appointment did not comply with the principle of fairness. A total of 64% of respondents, pro-democracy or otherwise, considered the appointment 'not quite comply', ' very much not comply' and 'entirely not comply' with the principle.

Dr. Chan King-ming, associate professor at the School of Life Sciences of Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and the former chairman of the Teacher's Association of CUHK, said that this appointment clearly shows the mainlandization and Sinicization of HKU.

Chan added that when he was the union chief a few years ago, a number of his colleagues at CUHK complained the use of Mandarin during meetings, 'it is now mainlandization, not globalization.'

Chan mentioned that since many mainland Chinese scholars had returned to China from the US, Hong Kong had become one of their preferred destinations. He worried that these scholars are being intentionally installed in different universities and organizations in Hong Kong. He added that HKU's appointment this time was related to the earlier change in the governance structure, such as the direct interventions occurring in the governing council and the Court. Such things had actually happened 15 years ago at the university.'

Chan also criticized that this appointment had already posed threats to academic freedom and institutional autonomy, and noted that the issue of resource allocation was involved here as a number of scholars had been invited to work in mainland China, especially the Greater Bay Area.

Regarding the National Security Law, Chan remarked that chilling effect had already been brought by the reporting hotline set up by the Police's National Security Department, and 'Cultural Revolution 2.0' had come. Some students had begun self-censoring as they changed the names of their online accounts.

Source: InMedia #Nov6
https://bit.ly/34ZHErD

#AcademicFreedom #University #Academia #CCPControl #CulturalRevolution

#PolyUSiege
#PolyU University Managememt Suppresses Students' Union's Commemorative Events, Bans
Screenings and Newspaper Advertisement, Threatens Students with Penalties


On the eve of the one-year mark of the siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Students (PolyU), the Students' Union (#PUSU) planned to hold the screenings of two documentaries, 'Save PolyU ' and 'Inside the Red Brick Wall' on November 17 and 18, 2020, in addition to publishing a statement on the front page of Apple Daily.

However, the university management stated in an email sent to the Students' Union on Nov 11, 2020 that the screenings and the newspaper advertisement were banned. If the students do not comply, the university authorities will impose a series of punishments including terminating their use and management rights of the students' union venues; the university will also stop collecting the students union's fee for them, among other disciplinary penalties.

The Students Union condemned the university's intervention, describing it as an act intending to 'wipe out the bloody scenes in our campus'. Regarding the use of venues and operation in the future, the Union will rearrange the screenings and post the statement via their social media instead.

Source: Stand News #Nov12
#PoliticalSuppression #Censorship #University #NeverForget #NeverForgive

#Censorship #Freespeech
#University in HK to Tighten Control of the Opinion Expression: Posts on #DemocracyWall Requires Real Name and Restricts Content

In the universities in Hong Kong, the "Democracy Wall", a free posting notice board on campus, has been a symbol of free speech.

After the forceful enactment of National Security Law (#NSL) in Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) has pressured the Students Union for several times about the setting up of the pro-democracy #LennonWall.

Recently, the Student Union committee members received an email from the Staff-Student Central Management Committee about an online meeting to be held on Dec 8, 2020, which will discuss "new rules" for the Democracy Wall. The new rules proposed by the university include real-name posting and content which cannot "go against the facts".

The students union acting president Au Cheuk-hei said that the university intended to tighten the freedom of speech inside the campus.

Source: Apple Daily #Dec4

#Interview #HongkongersVoice
Arrested Pro-democracy Uni Student is Not Pessimistic: "The Movement is About Seeking an Ideal, Which Can Only Come True through Practice"

Part 1:

Ah Ling (pseudonym), is a MPhil postgraduate student in Philosophy at Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK). He is also one of 1.03 million citizens who took to the street on 9 June, 2019 to protest against the government’s willful introduction of extradition to China.

At the end of the rally, he headed to the Legislative Council (#LegCo) building to offer help, knowing his fellow protesters needed assistance. Shortly after he arrived at the LegCo building, a large team of police broke into protesters’ defense and arrested Ah Ling and six others.

The seven of them were dragged into the Legco building and forced down on their knees in front of a wall. They knelt there for for five hours. In November 2020, Ah Ling was charged with illegal assembly for piling up mills barriers.

On January 13, 2021, Ah Ling decided to plead guilty. In court, his lawyer stated that Ah Ling was graduated with first class honors and received 18 scholarships in three years. It is likely that he will lose the opportunity to study a Ph.D at Yale University.

Ah Ling was at last sentenced to 16 weeks of imprisonment.

“Actually, many Philosophy students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have been arrested, accounting for quite a large faction of the total arrestees. For God knows why, we kept being arrested.” Ah Ling said it lightly.

“In times like this, many of us felt being summoned and urged to do something following our [philosophical] training."

Ah Ling said Hongkongers' involvement in the pro-democracy movement came from the “sense of justice”. “We genuinely see the importance in seeking justice in Hong Kong. So willingly, we put in our time and efforts.”

Commenting on the arrests of Jimmy Lai and 12 Youths, Ah Ling expressed, “the authorities will not let go any slightest chance to scourge us.”

The current silence at the street is built up at the expense of disquiet minds and raging hearts. At the end of the Umbrella Movement in 2014, a regression took place. As of this moment, social activism in Hong Kong has seemingly slumped into another state of speechlessness and helplessness. Many people asked how could they carry on?

With reference to history, Ah Ling acknowledged a long and tough journey ahead, “there are too many races going extinct in history. Nobody is giving shit to the so-called resistance and sacrifice. All those brave deeds have been deeply buried in our history.”

But he is not pessimistic.

Ah Ling said, “it doesn’t matter … do not presume that you are going to see any achievement in your lifetime, or like some commentators claimed - the coming two weeks are the most critical. It’s better to drop this mentality altogether.”

“The entire movement is about seeking an ideal, which can only come true through our practice.”

Source: Stand News #Jan21
https://bit.ly/3iyYrXF

#ProtestersStory #Arrest #PhilosophyStudent #University #Youth #Future #Justice

#Education #University
#CUHK cuts ties with student union

The university issued an unprecedently strong statement in the evening, stating that "The Student Union Executive Committee members have made false allegations against the University and exploited the campus for their political propaganda, which ran counter to the mission of CUHK and brought the University into disrepute. "

A spokesman stressed the election platform of #Syzygia, which won the leadership election a day ago on February 24, 2021, does not represent the position of the university, reminding them that their comments on #NationalSecurity may be in violation of the law.

The university said it will also stop collecting student union fees on its behalf and require the student body to register as an independent society to assume its own legal responsibility. Members will also be suspended from their ex-officio positions in all university committees.

#Oppression

Source: Stand News, RTHK; #Feb25
https://bit.ly/3kn9oMY

#University #Censorship
#HKU Denies Contract Renewal for Renowned & Outspoken Hepatologist

At the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the Faculty of Medicine's Professor of Medicine and Hepatology, Lai Ching-lung, rejected from renewing his contract.

This decision of the University management will possibly lead to the departure of Lai as early as in June 2021.

It was reported that the HKU's Faculty of Medicine had already recommended Lai to have his contract renewed, but the recommendation was not taken by the University Selection and Promotion Committee.

The 72 year-old professor is socially conscious, and had participated in a sit-in during the 2019 anti-ELAB movement wearing a black mask, holding a slogan condemning the police for "obscuring the truth".

In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, Lai also appeared at the rally for healthcare professionals fighting to lock Hong Kong's borders with China.

Source: Apple Daily, #Mar2
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20210302/X7FFHG4DWBCCVL4MZEU5U4FNFQ/

#LaiChingLung #Scholar #AcademicFreedom #FreeSpeech

#WhiteTerror #Censorship
HK #University Management Reports Students' Union Council to National Security Police

On July 8, 2021, the #StudentUnion Council of the University of Hong Kong (#HKUSU) passed a motion to express condolences to #LeungKinFai, a 50-year-old Hong Kong man who died after knifing a policeman and stabbing himself on July 1.

The act of mourning by the Student Union has been condemned by the government and the University.

The Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post (#SCMP) cited the chairman of HKU Council #ArthurLi, a pro-Beijing figure, and reported that the university management 'welcomed' authorities to investigate whether their students has violated the #NationalSecurityLaw. The source claimed the students involved could be expelled by the University.

At 1am on July 9, the Student Union Council announced the resignation of its members and the withdrawal of the motion passed. Their Facebook page and the website were also removed.

Source: Stand News #Jul8
https://bit.ly/2UtVxeU

#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Hong Kong University Management Continues Crackdown on Pro-democracy Students

According to the #CampusTV and the journal #Undergrad run by the students of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), the University management has been removing pro-democracy slogans and materials posted on campus.

These targeted locations include the Democracy Wall, the building where the office of Students Union was located, and notice boards in general.

The #StudentsUnion (#HKUSU) said this is a continuous crackdown by the University authorities following the deprival of the Union's right to use the office on campus.

Source: Stand News #Jul11
https://thestandnews.page.link/2nHip7rFwDUZaxSY7

#University #Students #DemocracyWall #FailedState

#Academia #Oppression #FreedomOfSpeech #University
Lingnan University Terminates Adjunct Appointment of 2 Outspoken Professors

In response to inquiries by Stand News, the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#HKLU) indicated the adjunct appointment of Law Wing-Sang and Hui Po-Keung have ended in September 2021, and their names have been removed from the school website's list of faculty members. They were professors of Cultural Studies.

The university did not mention the reason for not renewing their contracts.

Law and Hui are scholars active in pro-democracy protest movements, commenting often on current affairs. At the beginning of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, after the police fired tear gas on the gathering crowds, the two publicly condemned the government's actions and went on strike as teachers.

Hui is also a trustee of the “612 Humanitarian Relief Fund”, a fund supporting those injured or arrested during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement.

After the implement of National Security Law, Law continued to comment on newspapers. He published an opinion piece in MingPao on September 3, 2021, saying that the implementation of the National Security Law had 'perfected' Hong Kong's democratic 'election' system overnight. It also put an end to the ongoing controversy over the pace of democratization since the city's “return to China”: “Hong Kong strides into the era of “authoritarian rule”.

Source: Stand News; #Sept30
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/a_%E5%B6%BA%E5%A4%A7%E8%88%87%E7%BE%85%E6%B0%B8%E7%94%9F%E8%A8%B1%E5%AF%B6%E5%BC%B7%E5%90%88%E7%B4%84%E7%B5%82%E7%B5%90-%E6%95%99%E8%81%B7%E5%93%A1%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE%E5%B7%B2%E9%99%A4%E5%90%8D

#LingnanUniversity #HongKong #TearGas #NationalSecurityLaw #Censorship #Professor #LawWingSang #HuiPoKeung

#University #Admissions
Steep Drop in Applications to Political Science and Journalism Programmes in HK following China-imposed National Security Law

The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) published its 2021 admission numbers. The number of applicants to faculties of Political Science and Journalism saw a significant drop this year.

Admissions to the Government and Public Policy in both Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) and City University had dropped by 20% last year, and by another 40% this year.

A 15% drop was seen in admissions to Journalism among Hong Kong universities last year, and a further 13% this year.

Ronson #ChanLongSing, chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, said that the National Security Law has aggravated the political environment in the city, leading to the decline in these numbers. Students saw that becoming a reporter could lead to being sent behind bars; "It is reasonable for those with a rational mind to not choose Journalism."

Tommy #CheungSauYin, a Political Science graduate at Chinese University of Hong Kong and former President of CUHK Students Union, added more depressing facts.

Cheung noted that in 2019, 18 CUHK political science graduates won seats in the District Council election, but all of them have now been disqualified by the government. "There is no future for political science undergraduates," he said.

#PoliticalFreedom #WhiteTerror

Source: Stand News, #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/um3G228riSQDNtRD6

#HKProtest #University
Defiant University Students Carry Out Pop-Up Protests on Graduation Day, Calls Attention to Persecuted Students

November 4 marked the annual graduation ceremony of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK). Although no large-scale protests were seen this year under the iron grip of the National Security Law, traces of defiance still sprang up around the campus.

Large Banners Protest Admin Interference in Student Governance

As early as 6:30am, a large vertical banner with the words “Restore Student Autonomy「還我學生自治」” was spotted, as was another smaller one that said “Consultation Must Precede Staff-Student Collaboration 員生共治，必先共議」” . By 8am, both banners had been removed by school staff.

On the #WallofDemocracy, a large notice board created for students to voice opinion, multiple posters were seen with the call “OSA and subsidiary faculty committee, join the provisional Administration”, protesting the school's new requirement for student organizations to be registered with the school administration.

During the graduation ceremony, defiant graduates from Nursing showed protest handbills that wrote “Dare to be different; Be Faithful to your belief 「棱角分明，毋負期許」”. Some social work graduates wore white ribbons on their graduation robes, and carried handbills with slogans such as “Grieve our Student Union”.

Ex-Police Security Chief Disrupts Students Handing Out White Ribbons, But Chastised by Parents

At around 12:30, 5 CUHK students held up a banner that wrote “Grieve my CUHK” on the University Mall, and set up a counter to hand out white ribbons.

Although the group of students did not obstruct the proceeding of graduation ceremony, they were quickly encircled by more than 10 campus security and were ordered to leave. The students demanded the security guards for reasons that they were not allowed to hand out white ribbons, as they were not obstructing the ceremony.

Lee Wing-kwong, head of Campus Security and a former Police Superintendent, ordered his staff to remove the students’ protest materials immediately. He was, however, stopped by members of Student Affairs Office, who asked him to “calm down”.

Some parents on the site stepped in to show their support to the protesting students. Quoting the classic Confucian text "Great Learning", they criticized the campus guards for abusing their powers: "Don't you officials remember the Way of the Great Learning?"

"We've Graduated, But They Couldn't"

Scattered protest activities continued around campus into the evening. Nine graduates, wearing their graduation robes, held up signs with names of fellow students who had been arrested and jailed for their involvement in the 2019 anti-ELAB movement.

Their names are Cheung Chun-ho, Tang Hei-man, Ko Tsz-bun, Lau Chun-yuk, Fu Ngai-Ching, Chen Lik-sik, Hui Yi-shui, Li Chun-ho.

The last sign read poignantly: "We've graduated, but they couldn't."

#NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #NeverForget #Academia #WallofDemocracy #CUSU

Sources: Citizen News, Chinese University Student Press; #Nov4
https://bit.ly/3nVrgRf

#Pandemic #NewNormal
The University of Hong Kong Imposes Vaccine Mandate in Coming School Term

In an email sent on November 11, 2021 to all staff and students by the management, the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) requires everyone entering the campus to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from January 17, 2022 onwards.

Otherwise, unvaccinated personnels will have to undergo weekly Covid-19 tests at their own expenses.

Source: HKU Campus TV #Nov11

#Vaccination #Covid19 #Control #University

#Brainwashing #Education
Universities in Hong Kong to Implement Courses on Modern China and National Security

Under the #NationalSecurityLaw (#NSL), educationsl institutions in Hong Kong were requested to implement national security education.

Universities like the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU), the Hong Kong Baptist University (#HKBU), the Hong Kong Education University (#EdUHK) and the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#HKLU) have followed the government order.

Recently, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) has reportedly amended their core curriculum for the next academic year.

CUHK will open online courses on "Understanding China Today", and "National Security" starting from the next academic year. Each of them takes account to 1 credit.

CUHK confirms InMedia's enquiry and claimed that the new courses aimed to "strengthen students' knowledge [...] to understand national security". The courses were authorised by the University's academic council; however, no curriculum details have been revealed.

According to the documents InMedia received, the course titled "Understanding China Today" touched upon the modernization of China and technological development, in addition to Chinese culture and history. In addition to national security education, other online courses cover positive psychology and modern language. Each of the course takes account to 1 credit.

The University called it "Service Learning" and requires students to take at least one of thrse 1-credit courses.

CUHK replies to InMedia that the university would launcb national security education in accordance with Article 10 of the NSL. The university also said that they have already rolled out a number of policies and activities to "increase students' national belonging". Orientation activities include theme talks about national security and media literacy; courses contain a talk regarding "international circumstances and China's diplomacy"; graduates career workshops consist of #BasicLaw.

Source: Inmedia #Jan18
https://bit.ly/3nwAVhB

#Propaganda #Regime #University

Student Councils of 8 universities in Hong Kong: reassembly, moving out and negotiating with the school — what is left under restricting circumstances

Among the 8 universities in Hong Kong, 4 have already publicly refused to recognise their respective student councils, 6 have reclaimed spaces in which the councils used to station, and the remaining students councils of 2 universities, although are still given chances to stay within the campus, are required to collect membership fee on their own, leaving them vulnerable to financial crisis.

Before the school year commences, inmediahk interviewed the current- and ex-members of student councils from all these 8 universities, to review the past year, how their relationships with the school have shifted, and to talk about the situation they are in at the moment.

As tough as the reality can be, it is not sufficient to break these members’ spirits. Some said they wanted to reassembly the student council, that they would ‘survive despite the darkness around us’; some said they would strive their best to ‘hang onto the “students-autonomy” principle’, to ‘fight for better policies’, to ‘shed their last bit of tears’; some said they didn’t mind being called the ‘welfare society’, as long as they could secure the council itself, that they just wanted the council to ‘still be there when they graduate, or even a few years after’.

Source: Inmedia #Sep03

https://bit.ly/3RykEWk

#Student #Councils #University #HongKong

Is there any student union still existing in Hong Kong?

#StudentUnion #University #GoHKgraphics