University of Hong Kong punishes 23 students for bullying and warns ‘ragging’ will not be tolerated
School cracks down after wax attack on candidate in hall of residence council election
Three University of Hong Kong students have been ordered to leave a hall of residence and 19 others temporarily suspended from living there after an incident in which wax was poured over the lower body of a student.
Another student was given a warning over the incident, which was denounced by the dean of the hall, St John’s College, Dr Wong Kwok-chun.
“Ragging, under whatever pretext or manner, has no place in [the hall],” he said in a statement on the hall’s Facebook page. “Any violation will result in termination of residence.
”Such actions, whether done under the pretext of ‘sub-culture’ or ‘tradition’, are unacceptable.”
The victim was a candidate in the hall’s council election. He said he had dropped out of the race after the wax attack on March 21.
In a comment also posted on the Facebook page, the hall’s student association said everyone in the hall had agreed that ragging must be prohibited.