Hong Kong tertiary institutions shy away from calls to follow Chinese University head’s comments over condemning alleged police brutality
- HKUST and PolyU say they ‘condemn violence in any form’ while Lingnan adds it will provide hotline; others decline to comment or have not responded
- Controversy comes after open letter by CUHK vice-chancellor, who said he would condemn ‘any proven case’ of police misconduct
Tertiary institutions in Hong Kong have shied away from calls to follow the example of the head of Chinese University, who said under intense pressure from students that he would condemn “any proven case” of police brutality.
Vice-chancellor Rocky Tuan Sung-chi issued the statement last week in an open letter after emotional dialogue sessions with students accusing the force of misconduct amid the months-long protest crisis in the city.
Tuan’s comments prompted students from other universities to make similar calls to management, including from the University of Hong Kong, where 2,600 signatures from students, staff and alumni have been collected.
In response, two other universities – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Polytechnic University – told the Post they “condemn violence in any form” as it would only bring more conflict and disagreement, and would not restore order to society.
Both universities added that they would step up counselling and guidance for students with emotional needs.
Lingnan University officials said they would provide an emergency hotline, as well as legal assistance and counselling for students. Education University declined to comment, while Baptist University and City University have not responded by press time.
But in a reply to students’ questions on the condemnation of alleged police violence in an internal communication channel on Friday, CityU management said they had zero tolerance for any form of violence and that they expected all staff and students to abide by the law.
An HKU spokesman earlier said they would study the petition by students carefully.
In his letter last week, Tuan said the university had contacted more than 30 student protesters, some of whom claimed they were not given timely access to lawyers after being arrested, and were slapped or forced to strip naked.
He also stated he would write to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to “exhort her to initiate [an] independent investigation”, outside the existing mechanism, into about 20 cases involving students who alleged unreasonable treatment by officers.
Police associations slam Rocky Tuan for ‘biased’ statement based on student claims
All four of Hong Kong’s police associations issued a statement on Wednesday accusing Tuan of not casting any doubts on the claims and instead adding to suspicion of officers without any evidence.
Tuan’s statement also drew criticism from the heads of eight university councils, who said that campuses were not battlegrounds for the resolution of political conflict and should not be drawn into supporting any particular political position.
The student unions of local universities then hit back, saying that leaders of institutions should stand with students and try to understand the reasons behind such actions while providing support.
Police have arrested 2,671 people since the protests, sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, erupted in June. Of these arrests, about 35 per cent are students, with about 140 out of 360 suspects from secondary schools aged under 16.
