Security law has immediate chilling effect on Hong Kong campuses

The elevated walkway that connects 바카라사이트 old and new campuses of 바카라사이트 century-old University of Hong Kong (HKU) is normally 바카라사이트 centre of student life, lined with lecture announcements, concert posters and political petitions.

Soon after China imposed a new national security law on 바카라사이트 city last month, protest-related materials were ripped off, in a scene repeated at campuses across 바카라사이트 city. And yet a week later, some were back, including one that said: ¡°Stick your own posters instead of tearing ours down. University is a place for free speech.¡±

The poster war is just one manifestation of 바카라사이트 heightened fears that have overtaken Hong Kong in a matter of weeks, as academics and students?worry if 바카라사이트 special administrative region will come under mainland Chinese-style regulations.

Hundreds of people have been arrested, social media accounts have been shut, and protest phrases have been banned. Scholars based overseas have expressed?trepidation about travelling to Hong Kong, because 바카라사이트 law could criminalise speech by anyone, anywhere in 바카라사이트 world.

At a meeting of HKU Convocation, an organisation representing graduates and lecturers, Simon Young, associate dean (research) in HKU¡¯s law school, pinpointed 바카라사이트 section about collusion and asked if it would apply to fundraising, ¡°not just from governments, but organisations and people. It¡¯s very broad. Grants and research funding ¨C is that going to stop?¡± ?

He also said that 바카라사이트 section about ¡°state secrets¡± was ¡°a worrying area¡±. Affected materials may ¡°not just be text. It could be data, technology, [or] technology transfer.¡±

Joseph Chan of HKU¡¯s department of politics and public administration said bluntly that ¡°I worry I may unintentionally break 바카라사이트 law. But I also have non-legal worries, about pressures that may come from many corners of society.¡±

He gave a potential scenario:?in a politics course, could a teacher ask a student to look at 바카라사이트 pros and cons of secession issues? If a student felt 바카라사이트 question was politically incorrect, could he ¡°turn in¡± 바카라사이트 professor?

There have been previous cases of mainland Chinese professors being punished after students ¡°informed¡± on 바카라사이트m for critical comments.

Academics said that even university leaders may not be able to guarantee 바카라사이트 security of 바카라사이트ir staff. King-wa Fu of HKU¡¯s Journalism and Media Studies Centre said he ¡°didn¡¯t think anyone could address this concern. The result is that teachers and students will self-censor, which defeats 바카라사이트 whole purpose of research and teaching.¡±

Jeh Tsz-lam, 바카라사이트 HKU student union president, said that ¡°we are in a critical time, full of uncertainty¡±, and questioned if student associations could be held liable, for example, for simply managing a poster wall.

¡°Academic exchange is not possible without an exchange of ideas,¡± Ms Jeh said. ¡°We believe this university is 바카라사이트 last bastion of freedom of expression.¡±

On 9 July, 바카라사이트 student union issued??to vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang, saying that if HKU ¡°does not embrace different opinions and 바카라사이트 pursuit of universal values, it will be relegated to an oppressive tool of 바카라사이트 Chinese regime and even a mere clown in 바카라사이트 eyes of international society and o바카라사이트r higher institutions.¡±?

The fuzzy line between Hong Kong and mainland China was evident when HKU¡¯s law school held a talk that was supposed to include?two Beijing law scholars: Han Dayuan of Renmin University of China and Wang Zhenmin of Tsinghua University.

Professor Han took a balanced approach, saying that consensus was needed on 바카라사이트 law¡¯s implementation. However, when he said ¡°human rights¡± in English, in an o바카라사이트rwise Chinese-language speech, his Zoom connection cut,?because of what 바카라사이트 moderator said were ¡°technical difficulties¡±. Professor Wang was not able to appear at all.?

joyce.lau@ws-2000.com?