Hong Kong Watch calls for action as Hong Kong Secretary for Education arrives in the UK
Today, the Hong Kong Secretary of Education Choi Yuk-lin will travel to the UK and Finland to meet with education experts and Hong Kong students. Ms Choi’s visit marks the continuation of official visits between the UK and Hong Kong despite the imposition of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), which the UK government has recognised as a clear breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Ms Choi will be in the UK until 26 January 2024, and will speak on a panel at the British Educational Training & Technology Show in London to “support Hong Kong teachers and students who will participate in the show.” In Finland, Ms Choi will attend the education exhibition, before returning to Hong Kong on 28 January 2024.
Ms Choi has a track record of publicly supporting the NSL, affirming that “post-secondary education institutions are not above the law, as all staff members and students must abide by the law.” In August 2022, after students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong walked out of a seminar on national security during orientation, Ms Choi demanded respect and said that “students should treasure the learning opportunity.” Ms Choi is also responsible for requiring new public school teachers to pass a test on the Basic Law of Hong Kong, including topics on national security.
Before becoming Education Secretary, Ms Choi served as the Vice-Chair of the pro-Beijing union, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, and wrote for the pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao. Ms Choi has also been criticised for emphasising Chinese Mandarin education in Hong Kong rather than Cantonese.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“The British Government should not roll out the red carpet to Hong Kong Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin, nor should there be any illusions that Ms Choi is here to support Hong Kong students as she continues to dismantle academic freedoms in Hong Kong. The British Government should question her defence of the National Security Law which violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration and international human rights law, as well as the trial of Jimmy Lai and imprisonment of more than 1,000 political prisoners.
“As Ms Choi arrives in the UK, the British Government should also review Hong Kong Watch’s official sanctions submission to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It is clear that Hong Kong officials, including Ms Choi, have individually and collectively contributed to ongoing violations of civil and political rights. Ms Choi should be sanctioned from, and not welcomed to, the UK.”
蔡若蓮訪英「為香港師生打氣」 香港監察再次呼籲英國政府制裁香港官員
今天，香港教育局局長蔡若蓮起程訪問英國和芬蘭，與教育專家和香港學生會面。蔡若蓮的訪英行程顯示儘管香港實施了《國家安全法》，而英國政府認為《國安法》明顯違反1984年《中英聯合聲明》，英國與香港仍持續有正式訪問往來。
蔡若蓮會在英國逗留至本月26日，期間會前往倫敦，在教育科技展Bett Show的專題討論環節發言，並「為參展的香港師生打氣」。她之後會前往芬蘭，出席Educa教育展的專題座談會，本月28日返港。
香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：
「英國政府不應鋪紅地毯歡迎香港教育局局長蔡若蓮，也不應存有她到英國支持香港學生的幻想，因她持續摧毀香港學術自由。她擁護有違《中英聯合聲明》及國際人權法的《國安法》，英國政府應就此及黎智英案和一千多名政治犯被囚提出質詢。
英國政府亦應趁蔡若蓮訪英時，檢視香港監察向英國外交、聯邦及發展事務部提交的正式制裁建議書。蔡若蓮等香港官員顯然單獨或集體地助長了持續侵犯公民及政治權利的行為。英國應制裁蔡若蓮，而非歡迎她。」