Hong Kong national security law: at least 8 opposition district councillors facing questions over oath comply with official inquiries

The 8 are among 10 opposition councillors from Kowloon hit with requests for more information after their oaths of allegiance to city were deemed suspect

7 other councillors have already been ousted over doubts about their oaths, and two more were summarily disqualified for failing to take them

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District councillors Suzanne Wu (left) and Chu Kong-wai speak to the press on Monday after complying with an official enquiry into their oaths of allegiance. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 9:53pm, 27 Sep 2021Updated: 11:19pm, 27 Sep 2021

At least eight of 10 opposition district councillors whose allegiance to the city was called into question following an oath-taking ceremony last week have met the deadline for responding to authorities’ requests for further information.

The authorities’ inquiries to the 10 – asking, among other things, why they displayed slogans from the 2019 anti-government protests, or signed a declaration vowing to vote down the city’s budget – were delivered hours after 55 district councillors in Kowloon swore the oaths of allegiance on Friday.

The ceremony, required under the national security law, was only the second of its kind for the municipal-level office holders, and was aimed at enforcing Beijing’s recent mandate that only “patriots” govern Hong Kong.

However, some of the councillors who complied with the authorities’ request were uncertain about their chances of remaining on the local bodies, despite having met the deadline of 5pm on Monday.

“Whatever our answers are, it will not matter from the very start, because one can see how they specifically designed those requirements to target our behaviour,” said councillor Suzanne Wu Sui-shan, of Yau Tsim Mong district.

“But we found that there were accusations which did not sit with the facts … so we had to come out to face, instead, the public and our voters,” added the former Labour Party chairwoman.

Another district councillor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, viewed the questions as a prelude to more disqualifications. Seven opposition district councillors from Hong Kong Island were unseated following the first oath-taking ceremony earlier this month, despite their having complied with similar enquiries.