HK govt reiterates opposition to school strikes
Global Times
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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Monday reiterated its opposition to school strikes as around 70,000 primary and secondary school students welcomed their first day of new school year following the weekend unrest which left the city in chaos.

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Chinese national flag flies at the Pui Kiu Primary School in Hong Kong on Monday, first day of the new semester. (Photo: GT)

Despite the opposition forces' call for a student strike, and local media reporting  that organizers estimated as many as 10,000 secondary students from close to 200 schools would boycott classes, SAR Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said at Monday afternoon's press conference that most of the schools are functioning normally in the first school day.  

Protesters were seen forming human chains outside some schools. The schools have professionally communicated and interacted with students in accordance with their own rules, Yeung said. 

Local media reported some students started protesting Monday morning. Students in three secondary schools at Chai Wan formed human chains in front of their campuses at around 7 am. 

Media reports said some students skipped school and showed up at Edinburgh Square in Central at 9:30 am, while others joined a rally at about noon after classes ended early on the first day.

Around 300 protesters, some wearing school uniforms while others wearing masks, organized a protest at a playground outside Fukien Secondary School in Chai Wan on Monday afternoon. But they left after staying there for 10 minutes, the Global Times reporter observed. Two girls who attended the gathering said some of the participants were not students but nearby residents.

HK Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung stressed at the press conference that the government opposes all attempts that put politics above education. 

Monday is the first day of school, and the HKSAR government has repeatedly made it clear that it is opposed to a strike. Schools should not be places for political wrangling, said Cheung, pledging to support the police's right to ensure public security.

Yeung said he appreciates the principals and teachers for their professional handling of different situations at such a critical time, and said the schools will also pay close attention to bullying and ensure that all students are able to study in a safe environment.

Some people have attempted to bring the city's confrontations into schools and even threatened to harm police officers' children by posting their personal information on the internet.

In response to media reports that some students knelt to express their appeals, Yeung said the government's position is clear. "Anyone who reasonably and legally expresses opinions and demands is always respected."

As to the question on why the government deployed police and a kind of "white terror," Yeung said some protesters formed human chains outside schools, which is different from a strike. 

"The police presence is meant to ensure public safety and should not be seen as 'white terror'," he noted.