A Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) college students’ union has announced that it will halt operations next month, after representatives said the requirement of registering as a legal society with the police prompted “unprecedented risks and responsibilities.”
The student union of CW Chu College (CWCSU) will suspend all activities when its current term ends on Wednesday, the student body announced on Saturday.
The college, which began operating in 2012 and accommodates around 300 students, was one of the few CUHK colleges that required students to live there during four years of undergraduate studies.
The incumbent representative council of CWCSU, chaired by social work student Choi Wai-chun, said in a notice dated January 15 that it was informed by the college management that it must register as a legal society with the city’s police force immediately.
Cut ties
The registration requirement emerged in February 2021, when CUHK severed ties with the union representing its entire student body and demanded that it register as an independent body and assume legal responsibility for itself.
Since Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on the city in June 2020 – criminalising secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism – a number of Hong Kong’s government-funded universities have cut ties with their students’ unions.
CUHK at the time accused student representatives of making potentially illegal remarks on national security matters and said they had “exploited the campus for their political propaganda.”
Members of the elected student union cabinet, known as “Syzygia,” later resigned in March 2021, a day after they had been sworn in, citing legal intimidation and death threats to them and their families. The union also announced it would fold that October after existing as an independent student organisation for 50 years.
Four options
According to the open letter, CWCSU said it was given four options after meeting with college management. It could register as a legal society, which would include submitting proof of identity of its members, financial documents and evidence of past activities to the police.
This proposed plan, however, would “go against CWCSU principles,” the union wrote.
“[W]e are concerned that registering CWCSU as a legal society with the HKPF will bring about unprecedented risks and responsibilities,” the notice read.
Another option for the student body was to merge with the college management structure, meaning any activity organised by the union would need to be approved by the chairperson of the Student Staff Consultation Committee.
But this structure would mark a “significant departure” from the union’s previous operating model, under which they had enjoyed a high degree of freedom, CWCSU said.
“Our student union highly values and cherishes its independence in operation,” it said.
The union could also continue to operate without college recognition, but the election process for its next representatives would be deemed illegal. The college also would not collect fees on behalf of the student body, nor would it provide venue rentals or support to student union activities.
The final option which the union settled on was to suspend operations and halt recruitment for its next representatives. Any student who wished to serve their fellow students may inquire with the college office and register with the police force, the current cabinet said. They may also join the Student Staff Consultation Committee independently.
“CW Chu College, being relatively small in scale, faces unique challenges in establishing a student organisation to serve the students. We hope that in the future, there will be students who are enthusiastic about serving their peers and maintaining the intimate atmosphere that sets CW Chu College apart,” CWCSU said.
The college would take back the premises used by the students’ union, while the issue of refunding membership fees and annual fees was still under discussion, the cabinet said.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries, CUHK said on Monday it respected the decision of the CWCSU to suspend its operations. Registering with the police under the Societies or Companies Ordinance provided a “well-established, legally mandated framework for the unions,” it said.
“CUHK has always been willing to work with student unions, provided that their actions and incorporation are legally compliant,” an email reply from the university read.
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.
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