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SCIO briefing on the current situation in Hong Kong

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Phoenix TV:

My question is about student strikes. A new semester began yesterday. Many students at middle schools and colleges in Hong Kong boycotted classes. What is the attitude of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office about this situation? We have also noted that some middle school students got involved in violent riots. It is said that primary and middle school education in Hong Kong is the main reason behind this phenomenon. What is your opinion? Thank you.

Yang Guang:

Thank you. Let me give the floor to my colleague.

Xu Luying:

Thank you for your question. We have noted that some opponents, "Hong Kong independence" activists and a few radical forces are doing their utmost to instigate students to boycott classes. We all wonder why they behave this way. I think they just want to bring their street protests into campuses, kidnap young students on their chariots, make them as political chips to threaten the HKSAR government and the central government, and instigate student and merchant strikes on a larger scale, so as to spread the chaos and create a more destabilized and dangerous situation. How vicious their intention is!

School is a place to acquire knowledge and cultivate personality. Dr. Sun Yat-sen once said that school is the source of evolution of civilization. At such a holy place, some forces by all means have stretched out their hands towards juveniles who have immature minds and are entirely unsophisticated, so as to realize their ulterior political motives. We have seen cases that have shocked us. Since June this year, a total of 15 juveniles under the age of 16 have been arrested. The youngest is only 12, with iron bars and paint sprayers found on his body. On Aug. 31, the police arrested a 13-year-old juvenile who hid two gasoline bombs on his body. How horrible! We clearly noticed that the participants, black hands behind the riots, especially the schemers and organizers, disregarded the lives, health and futures of the juveniles, making them as cannon fodder and victims of their violent riots, and providing fresh "political fuel" for the forces with ulterior motives. These are savage misdeeds and must be curbed with exercise of all due power.

We are grieved to see so many middle school and college students participating in violent riots this time. Schools are the main front of education and teachers are the first person responsible for school education. The Code of the Education Profession of Hong Kong stipulates that teachers have the responsibility and obligation to cultivate a student's ability in objective and justified analysis and offer students equal opportunities to receive education. But we have also seen that some teachers took advantage of their power and resources to disseminate seeds of violence and hatred, and instigate students to boycott classes, breaking the bottom line of the education profession, and even ignoring teaching ethics and that of a decent human being. This is totally unacceptable and should be punished severely based on laws.

We have also noted that the HKSAR government and Education Bureau have made clear that they are against any kind of student strike, and emphasized that no one is allowed to make schools a place to voice political appeals. Many education societies published joint announcements to appeal to teachers to stick to their positions. Some citizens also called for all people to refute the idea of boycotting classes and save the juveniles from further damage. Since Sept. 2, all schools have been operating as usual, being uninfluenced by the so-called student strikes, and some schools held flag-raising ceremonies. Therefore, what they did was unpopular. The central government firmly supports the HKSAR government, school faculties and citizens in Hong Kong to take effective measures to restrain anyone from instigating, inciting, threatening, or seducing young students to take part in violent political activities for any reason whatsoever, so as to protect the rights of every student to receive a good education and ensure schools can remain clean and peaceful. Thank you.