Students threaten to lay siege to HKU meeting over delayed appointment of pro-democracy scholar
University council chairman vows to let members 'revisit' decision to defer hiring of liberal scholar
In a new twist to the long-running controversy over the hiring of an embattled liberal scholar by the University of Hong Kong, its governing body said it was prepared to review the decision to defer the appointment even as students threatened to storm its meeting.
The vow by the university council's chairman, Dr Leong Che-hung, also came hours after a concern group announced it had collected 2,500 alumni signatures, urging the council to stop delaying the issue, while the university's convocation - the most representative alumni body - plans to hold a rare emergency meeting today to discuss the matter.
The university's student union warned it would "lay siege" or even storm the council's meeting to make sure its demands were addressed.
At the centre of the controversy is the university's former law dean, Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun, who was told he would be appointed as a pro-vice-chancellor in charge of academic staffing and resources with effect from March this year.
But ever since Chan's candidacy was revealed last year, pro-Beijing newspapers have criticised him for his working relationship with HKU legal scholar and Occupy co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting.
On June 30, the council unexpectedly voted 12-6 to further delay Chan's appointment until a supervisory provost was hired.
Members who supported the deferral saw the need to respect the future provost's views, adding that the pro-vice-chancellor's post had been vacant for five years anyway.