Media

Response by the University of Hong Kong Council Chairman regarding a proposed meeting between the Chairman and the Students’ Strike Organizing Committee (revised)

03 Feb 2016

The Chairman of the University of Hong Kong Council Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, after agreeing in principle last Tuesday (January 26) to hold a meeting with student representatives within ten days, has been working through University management with the students on the detailed arrangements.

Unfortunately, after setting the time for the meeting and booking of venue, the students concerned raised a number of conditions.  The students insisted on holding the meeting on campus and to have teaching staff members and campus media present. 

Taking into consideration what happened at the Sassoon Road campus where the University’s last Council meeting was held, the University is of the view that safety concerns should be the first priority when considering the meeting venue. It is the University’s responsibility to exercise due diligence in protecting the safety of those involved, including meeting participants, as well as staff and security personnel. Since the HKU Students’ Strike Organizing Committee has provided neither assurances nor suggestions demonstrated to be effective in guaranteeing safety on site, we regard it more appropriate to hold the meeting out of the campus due to safety concerns. That is why we have already booked an alternative venue.

The aim of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for an exchange of views between the Council Chairman and students. In this regard, it is inappropriate to include teaching staff members at the meeting.  The President Professor Peter Mathieson, who is also a member of the Council, has agreed to sit in at the meeting. His presence will satisfy the demand by students to have Council members present at the meeting.

The University has been in due course liaising with television news outlets for a live video broadcast of the meeting, so as to ensure that the meeting will be held in an open and transparent manner. Campus and other news media outlets will be able to view the discussions live. Representatives of students’ campus media outlets can also be included as student representatives at the meeting. 

Professor Arthur Li has shown his greatest sincerity in reaching out to the students for a meeting in the past few days. The students had made the demand for a meeting with the Council Chairman in the first place but they then added conditions to that demand. It is reasonable to cast doubt on the sincerity of the students for genuine engagement.