Hong Kong academics warn of ‘political battleground’ at universities

This photo taken on July 19, 2018 shows pro-democracy campaigner and political science assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University Benson Wong posing for a photo in Hong Kong, after receiving a letter in February from the university stating that his contract will not be renewed this year. (AFP)
Updated 24 July 2018
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Hong Kong academics warn of ‘political battleground’ at universities

  • Universities will not promote academics who are politically active and offensive to the government
  • He was fired after being prosecuted by the government for turning the China and Hong Kong flags upside down in the legislative chamber as a form of protest against the pro-Beijing camp

HONG KONG: Pro-democracy Hong Kong academics say they have been sidelined from city universities for their political views as fears grow that education is increasingly under pressure from Beijing.
Although semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of expression, there are growing concerns those liberties are being squeezed as China’s tolerance for dissent diminishes.
A former member of a top decision-making body at one of the city’s leading universities described the situation for academics as a “bloodless political battleground.”
Students have voiced their support and concern for staff they feel have been targeted over their views.
In recent years they have joined faculty members in protesting against what they believe are political appointments of pro-Beijing management figures at universities.
Several academics who spoke with AFP said they felt their careers or those of their colleagues had been scuppered because of their political stance.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai was dismissed in January this year from Hong Kong Polytechnic University having taught social sciences there for seven years.
He was fired after being prosecuted by the government for turning the China and Hong Kong flags upside down in the legislative chamber as a form of protest against the pro-Beijing camp. He was convicted and fined by the court for “desecrating” the flags.
“The action I took at the Legislative Council has nothing to do with my conduct as a teacher,” he told AFP.
He accuses the university of “kneeling down” to Chinese authorities for commercial gain to safeguard its intake of mainland students, who pay higher fees than local students, and protect donations from pro-Beijing enterprises.
PolyU described Cheng’s actions as “inconsistent with its commitment to quality education and aspiration to embrace internationalization” in a dismissal letter seen by AFP.
The university said a two-month disciplinary investigation had found Cheng’s behavior “deviates from the university’s requirements” in a statement to AFP.
Some academics fear university funding is also prone to political manipulation as grants are decided by a government-appointed committee.
Concerns that freedoms on campus are under threat were further exacerbated last year when 10 leading universities penned a joint statement to students warning them not to discuss Hong Kong independence.
President Xi Jinping emphasises territorial integrity as key to a resurgent China and independence talk in the territory is a red flag for Beijing.

Hong Kong’s education bureau described academic freedom as the “cornerstone of our higher education sector” in a statement to AFP, adding that universities are “independent and autonomous statutory bodies.”
But critics say institutions are becoming increasingly conservative and are concerned that the influence of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong is growing.
Benson Wong, a political science assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, is a veteran pro-democracy campaigner who has argued for the right of students to discuss independence.
Wong received a letter in February, seen by AFP, telling him his contract would not be renewed when it finishes in August after eight years, without giving a reason.
“Universities will not promote academics who are politically active and offensive to the government,” he told AFP.
When asked by AFP whether Wong’s dismissal was in any way connected to his political activism, Baptist University said it could not disclose details of staff members’ reviews and contracts.
“Political factors are not considered when handling staff appointment and performance review,” the university added.
Both the liaison office and the Hong Kong government publicly rebuked pro-democracy activist and law professor Benny Tai earlier this year for discussing Hong Kong independence at a forum in Taiwan.
Tai retains his job at the University of Hong Kong, but faces trial in November and possible imprisonment for his role in the mass Umbrella Movement pro-democracy protests of 2014.
Questions sent by AFP to China’s liaison office about its involvement in Hong Kong universities went unanswered.
High-profile democracy activist Joshua Wong, 21, a former student protest leader, said punishment of politically active academics had led to a “chilling effect” across the university sector.
“Scholars and intellectuals had a lot of room to express their academic analysis and opinions in the past,” Wong told AFP.
“These expulsions are being used as an example to warn other academics they could also be punished.”


Suspect in murder of Tunisian man to appear before French judge: prosecutors

Updated 4 sec ago
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Suspect in murder of Tunisian man to appear before French judge: prosecutors

PARIS: A Frenchman accused of murdering his Tunisian neighbor in the south of France will appear before an anti-terrorism judge on Thursday, the national anti-terror prosecutor’s office said.
Christophe B. is accused of killing Hichem Miraoui in an attack Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described as both “racist” and “anti-Muslim.” Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case, the first time a far-right racist attack has been treated as a “terrorist” offense since the unit was created in 2019.

Russia to repair warplanes damaged by Ukraine’s drones

Updated 34 min 46 sec ago
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Russia to repair warplanes damaged by Ukraine’s drones

  • Ukrainian strikes targeted airfields in Siberia and the far north where Russia houses heavy bombers that form part of its strategic nuclear forces
  • Commercial satellite images showed what appeared to be damaged Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-22 Backfire long-range bombers

MOSCOW: Russian warplanes were damaged but not destroyed in a June 1 attack by Ukraine, and they will be restored, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

Ukrainian strikes targeted airfields in Siberia and the far north where Russia houses heavy bombers that form part of its strategic nuclear forces.

The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit and around 10 were destroyed, two US officials said, a figure that is about half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

But Ryabkov, who oversees arms control diplomacy, told state news agency TASS: “The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored.”

It was not immediately clear how swiftly Russia could repair or replace the damaged aircraft – if at all – given the complexity of the technology, the age of some of the Soviet-era planes, and Western sanctions that restrict Russian imports of sensitive components.

Commercial satellite imagery taken after the Ukrainian drone attack shows what experts said appear to be damaged Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-22 Backfire long-range bombers that Russia has used to launch missile strikes against Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to the attacks, Trump said.

Russia has an estimated fleet of 67 strategic bombers, including 52 Tu-95s, known as Bear-H by NATO, and 15 Tu-160s, known as Blackjacks, of which about 58 are thought to be deployed, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

In addition, it has 289 non-strategic fighters and bombers, including Tu-22s, Su-24s, Su-34s and MiG-31s, according to the Bulletin. Russia has given no detail about which aircraft were damaged but said that Ukraine targeted five air bases.


Philippines, US hold joint maritime drills for seventh time

Updated 05 June 2025
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Philippines, US hold joint maritime drills for seventh time

  • The exercises included joint operations near shorelines as well as fire support
  • The joint sail also showcased the Philippine vessel Miguel Malvar, a 118-meter guided missile frigate commissioned last month

MANILA: The Philippines and United States militaries have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila’s armed forces said on Thursday.
The exercises, held on Wednesday in waters off the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Zambales and away from contested features, included joint operations near shorelines as well as fire support.
“The MCA (maritime cooperative activity) is a demonstration of both nations’ resolve to deepen cooperation and enhance interoperability in line with international law,” the Philippine armed forces said in a statement.
The joint sail also showcased the Philippine vessel Miguel Malvar, a 118-meter guided missile frigate commissioned last month. It is one of two corvettes built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries under the Philippines’ military modernization program.
Military engagements between the treaty allies have soared under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China’s growing presence in the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.


Indonesia allowing nickel industry abuses to go unchecked: report

Updated 05 June 2025
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Indonesia allowing nickel industry abuses to go unchecked: report

  • Indonesia is both the world’s largest nickel producer, and home to the biggest-known reserves
  • Locals have reported a rise in air pollution from nickel processing smelters and rivers polluted by nickel tailings in soil brought down by heavy rain

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is allowing environmental damage including deforestation and violations against Indigenous people to go unchecked around a multi-billion dollar industrial park on a once-pristine eastern island, a report said Thursday.

Indonesia is both the world’s largest nickel producer, and home to the biggest-known reserves, and a 2020 export ban has spurred a domestic industrial boom.

Operations have grown around Weda Bay, the world’s largest nickel mine by production, on Halmahera island as Indonesia exploits the metal reserves used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to stainless steel.

Climate Rights International (CRI) said companies had caused a spike in air and water pollution and deforestation around the industrial park, accusing the government of ignoring their conduct.

“The Indonesian government is giving a green light to corporate practices that prioritize profits over the rights of local communities and the environment,” Krista Shennum, researcher at Climate Rights International, told AFP.

“The Indonesian government should immediately hold companies accountable. This could include civil penalties, criminal prosecutions, or rescinding permits.”

Much of the park’s nickel is sourced by Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), a joint venture of Indonesian mining firm Antam and Singapore-based Strand Minerals, with shares divided between French mining giant Eramet and Chinese steel major Tsingshan.

An AFP report last week detailed how the home of the nomadic Hongana Manyawa tribe was being eaten away by the world’s largest nickel mine, with members issuing a call for nickel companies to leave their tribal lands alone.


Locals have reported a rise in air pollution from nickel processing smelters and rivers polluted by nickel tailings in soil brought down by heavy rain.

Water tests by Indonesian NGOs AEER, JATAM, and Nexus3 Foundation in 2023 and 2024 “revealed dangerously high levels of nickel and hexavalent chromium, among other pollutants,” the report said.

“(Companies) are failing local communities by not making information about the safety of important drinking water sources publicly available and accessible,” said Shennum.

Both WBN and Eramet told AFP last week they work to minimize impacts on the environment, including conducting water tests.

CRI also said Indonesian and foreign companies in coordination with police and military personnel had “engaged in land grabbing, coercion and intimidation” of Indigenous peoples and other communities.

Local activists and students opposing the industrial park have “faced criminalization, harassment and smear campaigns,” the report said.

Weda Bay Nickel and the Indonesian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Indonesia’s energy ministry told AFP last week it was committed to “protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and ensuring that mining activities do not damage their lives and environment.”


New Zealand parliament suspends three lawmakers who performed Maori haka in protest

Updated 05 June 2025
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New Zealand parliament suspends three lawmakers who performed Maori haka in protest

  • Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days

WELLINGTON: New Zealand legislators voted Thursday to enact record suspensions from Parliament for three lawmakers who performed a Maori haka to protest a proposed law.

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand’s Parliament before.

The lawmakers from Te Pati Maori, the Maori Party, performed the haka, a chanting dance of challenge, last November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights.

But the protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers’ actions should be and whether New Zealand’s Parliament welcomed or valued Maori culture — or felt threatened by it.

A committee of the lawmakers’ peers in April recommended the lengthy punishments in a report that said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka itself, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber toward their opponents while they did it. Maipi-Clarke Thursday rejected that, citing other instances where legislators have left their seats and approached their opponents without sanction.

It was expected that the suspensions would be approved, because government parties have more seats in Parliament than the opposition and had the necessary votes to affirm them. But the punishment was so severe that Parliament Speaker Gerry Brownlee in April ordered a free-ranging debate among lawmakers and urged them to attempt to reach a consensus on what repercussions were appropriate.

No such accord was reached Thursday. During hours of at times emotional speeches, government lawmakers rejected opposition proposals for lighter sanctions.

There were suggestions that opposition lawmakers might extend the debate for days or even longer through filibuster-style speeches, but with the outcome already certain and no one’s mind changed, all lawmakers agreed that the debate should end.