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Hong Kong politics
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong’s biggest teachers’ union ‘seeks to speed up dissolution by changing its rules’ as Beijing attack continues

  • Under Professional Teachers’ Union constitution, two-thirds of members need to endorse disbandment decision for it to be valid
  • Beijing continues attack on PTU through state media, accusing it of avoiding accountability and demanding further action by law enforcement

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PTU chiefs announce the disbandment on Tuesday. Photo: May Tse
Lilian ChengandChris Lau

Hong Kong’s biggest teachers’ union is seeking to speed up its dissolution by changing its own constitution, the Post has learned, but Beijing is insisting that local authorities should still investigate the opposition-leaning group’s “lawbreaking” activities.

The embattled Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) announced on Tuesday that it was disbanding under pressure from authorities who have accused it of inciting violence and anti-government sentiment in schools.

The break-up of the 95,000-member group does not go far enough for Beijing, which continued attacking it through state media on Wednesday, accusing it of avoiding accountability and demanding further action by law enforcement.

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Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union to disband after pressure from pro-establishment media

Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union to disband after pressure from pro-establishment media

“[The union] has helplessly disbanded itself, but of course it cannot cancel out all its alleged law-breaching behaviour,” Xinhua said in a commentary.

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Under its constitution, two-thirds of PTU members would need to endorse the decision to disband for it to be valid.

To ensure the break-up happens as quickly as possible, the PTU committee would meet soon and amend the constitution to lower the threshold, an insider told the Post.

“[The two-thirds] threshold is quite impossible to reach, as many members might not support our decision, or will not want to get involved in the matter,” the source said.

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