The president of Lingnan University, Professor Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon, has warned a fellow-academic to be careful in his words and actions – or bear the consequences. In a letter sent in March to Dr Horace Chin Wan-kan, an assistant professor in the university’s Chinese department, Cheng said he had received complaints from alumni and members of the public about Chin’s recent speeches. Chin was adviser to former Secretary of Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping. After leaving that job in 2007, Chin published a book suggesting Hong Kong should become a city-state, which is credited with inspiring the autonomy movement. The book is also widely seen as laying the foundations of today’s localist movement. Cheng said: “The university safeguards the freedom of academics and of speech, and respects the right to express opinions enjoyed by the staff, but some of your words and behaviour over the past few years contradicted your status as a scholar, and went beyond the bottom line of the limit of speech freedom.” Without specifying which remarks he was referring to, Cheng also said Chin’s words and conduct had violated the professors’ code of ethics and badly affected the university’s reputation. READ MORE: Hong Kong localist group seeks inspiration from academic's book In conclusion, Cheng said: “I urge you to be cautious in your speech and conduct, and to return to teaching and academic research, or you will bear the consequences.” Chin, who was also criticised by complainants for his “law-breaking” role in the Occupy protests in Mong Kok last year, said he believed Cheng’s remarks had targeted his city-state theory and pro-Hong Kong independence standpoint. His guess was based on the letters and materials relating to complaints received by Cheng’s office, which were forwarded to him earlier this year. Cheng might also be alluding to his remarks about mainlanders, said Chin, who has been accused of discriminating against parallel traders and insulting mainland women on several occasions. However, Chin insisted he had not been discriminatory or insulting, but had sarcastically condemned the traders for making their living out of Hong Kong. Chin said what Cheng meant by “bearing the consequences” might refer to a possible termination of his employment contract, which is due to expire in August. “There might be some trouble in the renewal,” said Chin, who added he would protest if he felt his contract had been terminated unreasonably. He said he had already been relieved of three administrative positions at the university in August, without being consulted. Copies of Cheng’s letter were also sent to the dean of the Faculty of Arts and the head of the Chinese department.
