No evidence Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union breached national security law, says top adviser to leader
- Embattled Professional Teachers’ Union has taken series of steps in past week to stay out of controversy after coming under fire by state media for political actions
- Executive Councillor Ronny Tong says nothing the union has said or done warrants prosecution, but education chief Kevin Yeung urges teachers to ‘rethink’ ties
A top adviser to Hong Kong’s leader has said no evidence exists to support the prosecution of the heads of the city’s largest teachers’ union for national security crimes, despite education authorities cutting ties with the group and warning law enforcers would “take appropriate action” if necessary.
Executive councillor Ronny Tong Ka-wah emerged on Saturday as the first pro-establishment heavyweight to insist on the innocence of the 95,000-strong Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU).
Tong, a senior counsel, told the Post that none of the group’s past comments or actions, including support at times for teachers’ strikes at the height of the 2019 anti-government movement, could be construed as falling foul of the national security law.
“There is no criminal offence as far as I can see that the PTU is guilty of, let alone national security law charges,” he said, noting the union did not take part in an unofficial primary election held by pan-democrats last year. Dozens of key figures in the camp who took part in the contest were later arrested on suspicion of breaching the security law.
Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, however, was more cautious in taking a stance, instead urging teachers to have a “thorough rethink” on their relationship with the PTU.