A 30-year-old Hong Kong political party that used to lead the territory’s pro-democracy camp before Beijing cracked down on dissent is starting preparations to shut down, its leader said on Thursday.
“We are going to proceed and study on the process and procedure that is needed for the disbanding,” Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei (羅健熙) said.
Lo said the final decision to dissolve the party must be left to a members’ vote, without saying when that would take place.
Photo: AFP
“We considered the overall political environment in Hong Kong and all those future plans that we can foresee, and that is the decision that we make,” Lo told reporters.
The Democratic Party was founded in 1994, near the end of British colonial rule, when Hong Kong’s leading liberal groups merged.
Early leaders of the Democratic Party played a key role in shaping the “one country, two systems” formula, a constitutional arrangement that promised Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and rights protections.
After the territory was handed over to China in 1997, the party became the most influential voice of opposition in the Hong Kong Legislative Council and led peaceful street demonstrations, but the party’s fortunes declined after Beijing tightened its grip and imposed a national security law, following huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
“Developing democracy in Hong Kong is always difficult,” Lo said on Thursday. “We see a lot of civil society groups or political parties disbanding.”
Asked whether the party had been pressured by Beijing to fold, Lo said he would not disclose details of internal discussions.
Four of the party’s former lawmakers — including former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai (胡志偉) — are serving prison sentences after being found guilty of subversion under the national security law last year.
The party no longer holds any legislative seats after Hong Kong revamped its electoral system in 2021 to ensure only “patriots” can take office.
A three-person task force that includes Lo is to study the legal and accounting rules on party dissolution.
The party has 400 members and is not experiencing acute financial stress, Lo said.
A vote to dissolve the party would require the support of 75 percent of meeting participants.
Lo said he hoped Hong Kong can return to values such as “diversity, inclusion and democracy” that underpinned its past success.
Well-known figures from the party include Martin Lee (李柱銘) — hailed by some as Hong Kong’s “Father of Democracy” — as well as Albert Ho (何俊仁), who organized annual vigils to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Hong Kong’s second-largest opposition group, the Civic Party, dissolved in 2023.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS