Give HK political reform and independence idea will die

ADVOCATES of Hong Kong independence are intolerable, Zhang Xiaoming said last week on his first day as director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Beijing.

"What is Hong Kong independence?" he asked rhetorically while meeting the press. Answering his own question, he said: "It contravenes the Chinese constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law and ordinances, and could be criminal. It is a calamity for Hong Kong . . . all Hongkongers should see this clearly and must not tolerate it."

This outpouring of the dangerous poison of separatism was triggered by the start of a new semester, and the appearance of pro-independence banners and posters at several universities, some of which were removed by campus authorities. This was followed by a joint statement on Sept 6 by seven student unions, which condemned the removal as a "serious erosion" of academic freedoms.