Statement by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (11:45am)
25 Nov 2019
The campus of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) was occupied by protesters on 13 November (Wednesday) and was cordoned off by the Police on 17 November (Sunday). As a result, PolyU was forced to announce a full suspension of classes and the rest of its normal operation. In the afternoon of 18 November (Monday), the University obtained agreement from the Police that they would not attempt to enter the campus for a temporary period. PolyU immediately connected with various sectors of the community to enter the campus and persuade those remaining on the campus to leave in a peaceful and orderly manner. As of today, more than 1,000 people, including about 300 secondary school students have left the campus peacefully. Amongst them, to the best of our knowledge, there are about 50 are PolyU students.
Currently the campus is in a chaotic state, with debris, petrol bombs and dangerous chemicals scattered around the campus, which pose a considerable threat to personal safety. The hygiene conditions and air quality are also unsatisfactory, adversely threatening the health of those on the campus and those wanting to enter the campus, such as ambulance crew and social workers. It is estimated that only some tens of people remain on campus. PolyU will continue to convince these people to leave peacefully through different channels and methods. The University also urges the Government to immediately adopt a peaceful and humanitarian approach in order to help persuade and arrange for those remaining to leave the campus. We also request that the Police cordon be removed as soon as possible and the campus be returned to the University so that restoration work can begin.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr LAM Tai-Fai, Council Chairman
Professor Jin-Guang TENG, President
Professor Philip C. H. CHAN, Deputy President and Provost
Dr Miranda LOU, Executive Vice President
Mr Andy TONG, Vice President (Campus Development and Facilities)
Ir Professor Alex WAI, Vice President (Research Development)
Ir Professor Ben YOUNG, Vice President (Student Affairs)
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