Students 'free to join Occupy Central', says Open University's new president
New chief says he wouldn't stop anyone from taking part - but they should abide by the law
Open University's incoming president, Professor Wong Yuk-shan, has reiterated that he would not stop his students from joining the Occupy Central civil-disobedience movement.
But if they did, he said, they should abide by the law.
"I would not stop them from taking part. Students have their own views [on Occupy Central]," Wong said, referring to plans to block Central if the government fails to come up with an acceptable plan to implement universal suffrage for the 2017 chief executive election. "Hong Kong is a city with rule of law, so everyone should abide by it."
The National People's Congress deputy and Basic Law Committee member - whose new job sparked concerns about freedom of speech at the university because of his links to Beijing - expressed similar views when he was appointed last year.
Yesterday, he said he had no "political colour", but "unfortunately things are politicised in Hong Kong".
Wong, currently vice-president of the University of Science and Technology, was speaking on the sidelines of the NPC session in Beijing. He will start his four-year term at Open University on April 1.