Hong Kong university head condemns students’ call for independence and a physical border to split city from mainland China
- University of Science and Technology head Wei Shyy warns action will be taken after Facebook post over the weekend
- ‘ProgressUST’ group also wants mainland Chinese in Hong Kong ‘repatriated’ and Chinese businesses operating in city to lose their licences
A student group’s call for independence has been condemned by the head of a Hong Kong university, who said it challenged the “very basic principles of the city’s existence”, and warned there would be repercussions.
In a letter to students and teachers late on Monday, Professor Wei Shyy, head of the University of Science and Technology, said the “ProgressUST” group had posted what he called “hatred, and an absurd message”.
On Sunday night, the group had suggested in a Facebook post that October 1, China’s national day, should be the day when Hong Kong officially “cuts ties” with the mainland.
“HKUST condemns such messages and we can’t stay idle while these individuals stage such an act without revealing their identities,” Shyy wrote, adding the university had alerted the student union.
He did not elaborate on what action the school would take.
The group also called for the “repatriation” of mainlanders in Hong Kong, revoking of licences of Chinese enterprises operating in the city and building a physical border between the city and the mainland.