Chinese University of Hong Kong students get management’s blessings for new union, vow to stay clear of politics
- University keen to see ‘inclusive’ new union with locals, non-locals and postgraduates among members
- Students want to regain a platform, after previous union disbanded following clashes with management
A group of Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) students are setting up a new union and have begun rebuilding ties with the management, which accused the previous body of exploiting the campus for political purposes.
Student representatives said there was a need for a platform to represent their interests but given the current “repressive political climate” in the city, they would steer clear of politics.
The new student union is expected to be inaugurated next March with the blessings of the university’s management.
Before union elections in February last year, members of the leadership team accused the university of calling police to arrest students following an attack on security guards, and of bowing to the government, among other allegations.
Some candidates also published an 80-page manifesto, saying the national security law infringed upon basic human rights and freedoms, calling it a disgrace to Hongkongers’ dignity.