A message from the President and
Vice-Chancellor on behalf of the Senior Management Team
Dear colleagues, students, alumni and
friends,
We are all very concerned about the events
that took place before, during and after the Council meeting yesterday on
campus.
We cannot condone (容忍) the invasion of the
Council chamber which prevented the Council from completing its rightful
business. Council includes two elected student representatives and we implore (懇求) the students to
express their concerns via these members so that discussions can take place in
a calm and rational manner. The lack of respect for confidentiality which
characterises HKU Council's discussions and decisions remains a serious concern
for us.
We deplore (強烈譴責) violence by any
party. We are still working to establish the facts about the various events on
HKU campus last night and will not comment specifically on any follow-up
actions until those facts are clear. As always, our primary concern is for the
safety and security of all members of the University and of the general public:
our Risk Assessment Team planned accordingly and we believe that HKU staff
behaved professionally and reasonably throughout. It is regrettable that the
police had to come onto campus, but ambulances were being barred from moving,
which could have had serious consequences for the injured.
Prior to the Council meeting, outside
parties were reportedly provoking (刺激的) HKU members and
deliberately inciting (煽動) confrontations.
Measures will be taken to ensure that the campus remains a safe place where routine
academic activities can be conducted without harassment or intimidation (恐嚇).
The University will always respect and
safeguard freedom of expression, but we must also strike a balance and do our
best to guarantee the safety and well-being of all HKU members.
As we have repeatedly stated, all adults
must take responsibility for their own actions.
Professor Peter Mathieson
President and Vice-Chancellor
