After years of the “anti-extradition bill” movement in Hong Kong, the 59-year-old student union of the Lingnan University (Lingnan), Hong Kong, officially announced its dissolution on the social media platforms late on August 6. As of now, out of the 8 Hong Kong government-funded universities, only 2 student unions are still functioning, while the other 6 have been dissolved or ceased operations.
The statement released by the Lingnan University Student Union mentioned that since its establishment in 1967, it has always upheld the spirit of unity and mutual assistance among students. They have actively maintained close contact with the university authorities, seeking the welfare of all Lingnan University students, and have been devoted to addressing social issues, promoting member awareness and sense of responsibility towards society in various forms to advance Hong Kong’s societal progress. However, recent changes on and off the campus have led the union to the challenging decision to dissolve after considering various factors.
The statement also mentioned that a joint meeting had been held earlier by the student union, where the decision to dissolve was approved.
In 2019, almost all university student unions in Hong Kong participated in the “anti-extradition bill” movement, including several student groups at Lingnan University. After the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, student unions in various universities either announced their dissolution or were not recognized by the university authorities.
In April last year, Lingnan University sent an email to all students stating that student organizations would need to register with the Student Affairs Office in the future and sign a “Student Leader Covenant” to receive guidance from the university, financial support, and rights to use resources. In June of the same year, Hong Kong police arrested four key members of the Lingnan University Student Union on charges of theft and conspiracy to commit theft. A month later, the university issued a statement clarifying that it had no affiliation with the student union.
During the opening ceremony of Lingnan University in August of the same year, some student union members distributing welcome publications outside the university gates were stopped and the publications were confiscated by the police. The planned orientation camp at the end of August could not proceed as scheduled due to venue issues. Subsequently, several executive committee members resigned.
According to Ming Pao, currently, out of the 8 government-funded universities in Hong Kong, only the student unions of the University of Science and Technology and City University are still operational, while the other 6 university student unions have been dissolved or ceased operations since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020.
However, public records indicate that although the City University Student Union technically still exists, it was actually expelled by the university in 2022. Currently, the student union functions as a completely independent entity from the school and has relocated to a commercial building in Sham Shui Po to sustain its operations independently.