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Universal suffrage in Hong Kong
Hong KongPolitics

Jail stint gave him insight into future of Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, Occupy leader Alex Chow says

Activist says interim proposals, such as changes to chief executive nominating committee, should be considered even if universal suffrage is not currently achievable

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Alex Chow Yong-kang at a RTHK radio show. Photo: Felix Wong
Jeffie Lam

Can Hongkongers take another step towards universal suffrage while still facing the constraints set years ago by Beijing?

That was the question that former Occupy student leader Alex Chow Yong-kang mulled during his two-month stint in Pik Uk Prison, during which he studied Buddhist teachings.

Chow and fellow activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Nathan Law Kwun-chung were jailed in August over their roles in a protest during the run-up to the 2014 pro-democracy Occupy movement. He was the last of the three to be granted bail, after the Court of Final Appeal decided to hear their case on Tuesday.
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Chow said that while in jail, he tried to learn to be a better person through Buddhism; to be more clear-minded, able to study issues from different perspectives and not to be directed by emotion.

Joshua Wong tells world: We’ll keep sacrificing ourselves for Hong Kong democracy

The period of reflection also gave him new insights on the future of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, he said.

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