The acting executive committee of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) ordered Friday to suspend its operations “with immediate effect until further notice,” according to the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). In its statement confirming the suspension, it did not mention the fire or the union’s call for justice.
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After a fire that ripped through Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district last week, killing at least 159 people, was described as the deadliest residential building fire in the world since 1980, residents of Hong Kong have been asking the city government for help.
The student union’s low membership rate, lack of a “strong commitment” to improve the welfare of students, and failure to “abide by the regulations” of the university on financial matters were allcited by the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), which contributed to the indefinite suspension.
In a statement on social media, the union criticized the justifications, calling them “unreasonable,” “unfounded, and arbitrary,” and called them “unreasonable.”
The union’s statement, “The university’s irrational action raises concerns about potential ulterior motives behind this forced suspension,” was quoted by AFP.
In a separate statement released by HKFP on Friday, the union claimed that despite attempts by the university to halt efforts by students to improve the union, membership has increased “sixfold” compared to last year.
On Tuesday, social media users shared images of a message that was affixed to a student union-run “democracy wall,” which offered condolences to those who lost in the fire.
We were Hongkongers, the unsigned message continued, and called on the government to be responsive and responsive to public demands for justice.
The angry, grieving voices of #HongKong are still being ignored by #HongKong authorities, according to a banner that reads “Deep condolences to the Wang Fook Court fire victims. HONGKONGERS ARE WE. We urge the government to respond to the public’s requests. so that all may be served justice. pic. twitter.com/kcKXK4gtG8
According to Hong Kong news reports, university security personnel later used tall barricades to block the wall.
The noticeboard message, according to Kevin, a HKBU student who declined to provide his surname, was “positive” and attracted the attention of students walking by before it was sealed off, he claimed.
The university did not respond to AFP’s inquiries regarding the democracy wall.
Authorities have stepped up against calls for accountability and have arrested at least three people for sedition in the wake of the fire.
Authorities were also detained on Thursday for allegedly arranging “sedition” in Hong Kong due to comments made about the Tai Po fire, according to reports.
In Hong Kong, student unions once had a significant influence on the city’s extensive, occasionally violent, pro-democracy protests in 2019.
However, they either reduced their activities or completely abandoned them in the wake of Beijing’s harsh enforcement, or when Hong Kong’s controversial national security law was passed in 2020, which critics claim has reduced dissent in the autonomous Chinese city.
A “patriots only” legislative election is scheduled for Sunday in the city, but voters are expected to be absent. Residents claim to be angry with the city’s elected officials.
Source: Aljazeera
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