All-out hunger strike in Hong Kong against China's patriotic education

After yesterday's large-scale demonstration, more students join three hunger strikers protesting in front of Hong Kong's government offices. They want plans to introduce national education courses scrapped. In their view, their purpose is to brainwash residents in the former British crown colony. As anger mounts among the population, local authorities have remained silent.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - In Hong Kong, more people have gone on hunger strike against the introduction of 'patriotic education' courses in local schools, which constitute at attempt by Communist China to indoctrinate the region's people.

The three 18-year-old students on hunger strike, Lily Wong Lee-lee, Ivan Lam Long-yin and Kaiser, are camped outside government offices in the Admiralty. They have said they would not stop their protest if the authorities did not withdraw the proposed education reform. So far, the pro-Beijing executive chief (who was elected by Beijing's allies) has not yet shown any sign that he would relent.

The proposal made by Beijing in 2002 and adopted in 2004 has sparked protests because it would include from primary school onward so-called national education courses as a separate subject matter. From what is known, these courses are intended to praise mainland China's scientific and economic progress but would be silent about the Tiananmen Square massacre.

A large-scale survey shows instead that most students would like the government to include the Tiananmen incident in the school curriculum.

Led by Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Catholics were the first to mobilise against Beijing's "brain-washing" scheme. Surveys show support for the Church's point of view, with 74 per cent of all students in boys and girls clubs dead set against the proposed changes. Among parents, 77 per cent want the government to withdraw the reform altogether, and consult stakeholders.

Following yesterday's big demonstration, which brought students, parents and alumni before the government offices, things got worse today. This morning in fact, the new subject matter was supposed to start, but books and trained teachers are not yet available.

What is most striking is the total indifference of local authorities to our protests, one participant said. The issue however is uniting the whole population, not only those with school age children.

One caller in his 60s told commercial radio that he would join the hunger strike if the government insisted on going ahead with its curriculum. Another, a teacher, urged Hong Kong's chief executive to show some independence from mainland China and listen to what the people want.