1 day Ago By Kelly Ho
Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a former examinations official of spreading rumours about the recent death of a secondary school student during a study tour in mainland China.Secretary for Security Chris Tang. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Social media page “Edu Lancet,” which describes itself as a platform for “voicing concerns” about the education sector, was slammed by Secretary for Security Chris Tang in two media interviews published on Monday.Tang spoke with Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao and pro-establishment newspaper Sing Tao about the upcoming National Security Education Day on April 15.In both interviews, Tang said Hong Kong still faced various national security threats despite enacting the national security law in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance last year.
The city is still exposed to “soft resistance,” Tang said. He alleged that some people were using issues unrelated to national security to “divide society” and stir “hatred against the SAR government and the central government.”The security minister cited the death of a secondary school student during an exchange trip in mainland China in late February.
He said that Edu Lancet – run by former Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) subject manager Hans Yeung on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads – had “slandered the incident” by suggesting it was caused by students being “forced” to take part in exchange trips across the border.Hans Yeung. File photo: Hans Yeung, via Facebook.
Tang went on to say that Yeung had drafted an “anti-China” question in the history paper of the 2020 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. The question, which was later retracted, asked candidates whether they agreed with the statement, “Japan did more good than harm to China in the period 1900-45.”“He has run away to the UK, taking advantage of different opportunities to make incitements,” Tang told Sing Tao.
Yeung resigned from the HKEAA in August 2020, a few months after the exam question was criticised by pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong for whitewashing Japan’s role in Chinese history. A probe by the Education Bureau concluded in November 2020 that Yeung had breached internal regulations and procedures.Student’s deathOn March 1, St Paul’s College principal Dennis Yuen said the school learned on February 28 that a Form Five student had passed away.
He said the incident was “under investigation,” adding it was “inappropriate to speculate.”A letter from the school’s council chairman, Arnold Cheng, shared by Edu Lancet on March 7, confirmed that the student died during a trip to Hangzhou.St Paul’s College.
File photo: Wikimedia Commons.Secretary for Education Christine Choi said on March 7 that the student’s death had nothing to do with the mainland study tour, which was conducted under the Citizenship and Social Development curriculum. Details of the incident would not be disclosed out of respect for the family of the deceased student, she said.
On March 8, Edu Lancet urged the Education Bureau to disclose the cause of death of the student, adding all Hong Kong primary and secondary schools should suspend all mainland study tours to “assuage public concerns.” In an article published on Radio Free Asia on March 14, Yeung alleged that the student was “forced” to join the mainland study tour and that his death was related “to a certain extent.” According to a guide on the Citizenship and Social Development curriculum and assessment, students who have “practical difficulties with sound justifications” for not joining mainland exchange trips should seek approval from the school.
Schools should handle such matters “prudently on a case-by-case basis,” the document further said, adding that schools should provide “feasible alternatives” for students, such as using virtual reality or videos as a form of “remote study tour.”Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | AppsHelp safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team.
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