Hong Kong security chief warns disbanded teachers’ union and protest organiser can still be investigated for crimes
- Any individual or organisation that has broken the law will be pursued and punished, Chris Tang says
- The front had posed substantial risk to national security, while the union connived with forces that endangered the legislation, he says
Hong Kong’s security chief has vowed a crackdown “on all fronts” against the opposition-leaning Professional Teachers Union (PTU) and Civil Human Rights Front, saying their disbandment would not shield them from legal liabilities.
Echoing earlier warnings from the central government, Chris Tang Ping-keung said no individual or organisation that broke the law would go unpunished.
The 95,000-strong PTU, the biggest teachers’ union in the city, announced its disbanding last Tuesday, citing a worsening political climate.
The front, which organised several massive protests during the 2019 anti-government movement, revealed on Sunday it too was folding. The umbrella organisation, formed in 2002, said going forward was not feasible with member groups facing oppression and convenor Figo Chan Ho-wun serving a jail sentence over an illegal protest in 2019.
Tang accused the front of “getting more radical” in recent years and posing “substantial risk to national security” as violence often erupted after the end of the rallies it organised.
The group had failed to register with the government or provide police with information on its funding sources and related bank accounts as required, he noted.