Beijing bars two pro-independence lawmakers from Hong Kong legislature
By Lobsang Tenchoe
DHARAMSALA, Nov 7: China has barred two pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers from taking office.
Undermining the principle of ‘One Country-Two Systems’, Beijing has intervened in Hong Kong politics and barred two pro-independence lawmakers, Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching from retaking their oath.
The two lawmakers won’t be allowed to retake their oaths of office despite getting elected in September, bbc.com reports Nov 7.
Beijing has used Article 104 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, which states that lawmakers must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office, to bar the two young pro-independence lawmakers from retaking their oaths of office.
The standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) on Monday declared the ruling that people elected to Hong Kong’s legislature can’t be allowed to retake their oaths of office if their first attempt is deemed invalid, according to report by Chinese State-run CCTV.
The move is likely to intensify protests in Hong Kong as the mere speculation of the intervention of Beijing drew thousands of Hong Kongers to protest outside China’s liaison office in the city on Sunday where police used pepper spray, batons and arrested four protesters to a scene reminiscent of pro-democracy Occupy protest of 2014.
While taking their oath of office in October, Yau and Leung, the lawmaker duo from Youngspiration held a flag reading “Hong Kong is Not China”, changed the wording of their oath and instead of China, they used the word ‘Chee-na’, a variation of the derogatory term ‘Shina’ used by the Japanese during the war against Chinese people.
