Hong Kong national security law: Chinese University’s student union withdraws election statements, after management severed ties citing possible legal breaches

Newly elected committee releases statement announcing official withdrawal of its 80-page election manifesto, other campaign statements

CUHK council member Edward Lau says students should still bear the responsibility for their act, while former city leader CY Leung describes the union move as ‘ugly’

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The Chinese University of Hong Kong took the unprecedented action against its student union on Thursday. Photo: SCMP

Published: 10:12am, 27 Feb 2021Updated: 8:29pm, 27 Feb 2021

The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s student union has withdrawn its controversial election manifesto and other campaign statements, two days after school management cut ties with the body citing possible national security law breaches.

“Our cabinet has officially withdrawn its election-related manifesto, campaign platform and other related documents,” the newly elected committee, Syzygia, revealed on its social media account on Saturday without elaborating. All of its previous statements were removed from the online platform as well.

The university on Thursday took unprecedented action against the freshly elected union, severing links with the body on national security grounds and imposing a series of tough measures on its executive committee.

It accused members of the committee of failing to clarify what it said were false claims they had made about CUHK that could be in breach of the security law.

The raft of administrative restrictions include suspending executive members from ex officio positions on all CUHK committees. The union was also told it would have to assume its own legal responsibilities by registering as an independent society or company, which the university argued was the existing practice at other local institutions.

The controversy erupted earlier this month when the 12-member cabinet – elected on Wednesday to run the union – accused the university of working with police to have students arrested following an attack on campus security guards.

In its 80-page election platform, the members also said the national security law infringed upon basic rights and freedoms and was a disgrace to the dignity of Hongkongers. They added that “national security” was a political way of imposing a totalitarian and repressive rule, while vowing to fight against the “unjust regime”.

CUHK management had strongly objected to the election manifesto.