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Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘Domino effect': One of Hong Kong's last opposition parties disbands under pressure
HONG KONG, June 30 — One of Hong Kong's last remaining opposition parties has officially disbanded, its leader announced Sunday, citing 'immense political pressure' as Beijing presses on with its years-long crackdown on dissent. The League of Social Democrats (LSD), founded in 2006, championed democratisation and grassroots issues in Hong Kong's legislature and on the streets. It is the latest opposition party to cease operating after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 to curb dissent and end democracy protests that had brought the financial hub to a standstill. 'In the face of immense political pressure and after careful deliberation — particularly with regard to the consequences for our members and comrades — we have made the difficult decision to disband,' LSD said in a statement. Party chair Chan Po-ying said at a press conference that the decision to disband had been unanimous. Asked if the pressure had come from Beijing's middlemen, Chan said she could not disclose details. LSD, which had called for direct elections for the city's leader and legislature, won three seats in Hong Kong's Legislative Council at the height of its popularity in 2008. Its lawmakers were known for their colourful heckling and symbolic protests in legislative sessions, which included lobbing bananas and fish sandwiches at the city's leadership. 'Domino effect' Fernando Cheung, spokesperson for Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, said LSD's dissolution 'further reveals the near purging of Hong Kong's pan-democratic political parties and civil society organisations'. After the imposition of the national security law and with most of the city's democracy campaigners jailed or overseas, the Civic Party closed in 2023 and in February, the Democratic Party began winding down. One of LSD's founding members, 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, remains behind bars after being found guilty of subversion last year, as part of Hong Kong's largest national security trial. Another LSD activist, Jimmy Sham, was also jailed in the same case. He was released from prison last month. In recent years, LSD had limited its public activities to a Sunday street booth in a shopping district where a handful of activists handed out flyers while filmed by police. Chan said that Hong Kong is witnessing a 'domino effect' and that her group will not be the last to fold, urging people 'on the one hand to survive, and on the other hand to try to exercise our rights as citizens'. — AFP
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong opposition party folds, citing ‘immense political pressure'
Read more about this: The Hong Kong opposition group League of Social Democrats announced on June 29, 2025, that it would disband, citing "immense political pressure" and member safety. The group, known for protests and civil disobedience, is the third major opposition party to dissolve since Hong Kong enacted the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020. Chairwoman Chan Po-ying said the group had 'no other choice'.
Saudi Gazette
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
One of Hong Kong's last major pro-democracy parties disbands
HONG KONG — On the wall of the League of Social Democrats office, the Chinese characters for freedom are spelt out with court admission slips. Members of the party take turns speaking into a microphone connected to a loudspeaker. They stand in front of a banner that reads "rather be ashes than dust", written in Chinese. Founded close to 20 years ago, the party is known as the last protest group in Hong Kong. "The red lines are now everywhere," Chan Po Ying, the chair of the party, tells the BBC. "Our decision to disband was because we were facing a lot of pressure." She added that everything in Hong Kong has become politicised, and she was not in a position to go into more detail to elaborate the reasons. The party is the third major opposition party to disband this year in Hong Kong. The group known for its street protests said it had made the decision after "careful deliberation" and to avoid "consequences" for its members. The announcement to disband comes just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law. The party said it could not elaborate on the timing of its closure, but said it faced "intense pressure." "Over these 19 years, we have endured hardships of internal disputes and the near-total imprisonment of our leadership, while witnessing the erosion of civil society, the fading of grassroots voices, the omnipresence of red lines, and the draconian suppression of dissent," it said in a statement. The authorities said the national security law was needed in order to restore order after a year of often violent protests in 2019. But five years on, critics say it has been used to dismantle the political opposition. In June, a Chinese official claimed hostile forces were still interfering in the city. "We must clearly see that the anti-China and Hong Kong chaos elements are still ruthless and are renewing various forms of soft resistance," Xia Baolong said in a speech. The national security law criminalises charges such as subversion. In 2024 Hong Kong passed a domestic national security law known as Article 23, criminalising crimes such as sedition and treason. Today the majority of Hong Kong's political opposition have either fled the territory or have been detained. "I think it's no longer safe to actually run a political party. I think the political rights have almost totally gone in Hong Kong," vice-chairman Dickson Chau told the BBC. On 12 June, three members were fined by a magistrates' court for hanging a banner at a street booth while collecting money from the public without permission. Critics say opposition groups face political persecution. Chau says the party's bank accounts were closed in 2023. Over the last five years, six party members have been imprisoned. "A place without any meaningful political party, then people sooner or later will forget how strong they are going to be if they can group together and voice out in a collective manner," said Chau. "If I do nothing then why am I here in Hong Kong?". He said even if he was not politically active, he feared he could still find himself a target of the police and be pressured to leave Hong Kong by the authorities. "The future is very difficult as a citizen. If you want to exercise your right as a citizen it's very difficult. Not only for the politician or the activist, even the ordinary people need to think twice," said Chau. "It's a dilemma I didn't expect to face in Hong Kong for just being an activist," he added. — BBC
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
One of Hong Kong's last major pro-democracy parties disbands
On the wall of the League of Social Democrats office, the Chinese characters for freedom are spelt out with court admission slips. Members of the party take turns speaking into a microphone connected to a loudspeaker. They stand in front of a banner that reads "rather be ashes than dust", written in Chinese. Founded close to 20 years ago, the party is known as the last protest group in Hong Kong. "The red lines are now everywhere," Chan Po Ying, the chair of the party, tells the BBC. "Our decision to disband was because we were facing a lot of pressure." She added that everything in Hong Kong has become politicised, and she was not in a position to go into more detail to elaborate the reasons. The party is the third major opposition party to disband this year in Hong Kong. The group known for its street protests said it had made the decision after "careful deliberation" and to avoid "consequences" for its members. The announcement to disband comes just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law. The party said it could not elaborate on the timing of its closure, but said it faced "intense pressure." "Over these 19 years, we have endured hardships of internal disputes and the near-total imprisonment of our leadership, while witnessing the erosion of civil society, the fading of grassroots voices, the omnipresence of red lines, and the draconian suppression of dissent," it said in a statement. The authorities said the national security law was needed in order to restore order after a year of often violent protests in 2019. But five years on, critics say it has been used to dismantle the political opposition. In June, a Chinese official claimed hostile forces were still interfering in the city. "We must clearly see that the anti-China and Hong Kong chaos elements are still ruthless and are renewing various forms of soft resistance," Xia Baolong said in a speech. The national security law criminalises charges such as subversion. In 2024 Hong Kong passed a domestic national security law known as Article 23, criminalising crimes such as sedition and treason. Today the majority of Hong Kong's political opposition have either fled the territory or have been detained. "I think it's no longer safe to actually run a political party. I think the political rights have almost totally gone in Hong Kong," vice-chairman Dickson Chau told the BBC. On 12 June, three members were fined by a magistrates' court for hanging a banner at a street booth while collecting money from the public without permission. Critics say opposition groups face political persecution. Chau says the party's bank accounts were closed in 2023. Over the last five years, six party members have been imprisoned. "A place without any meaningful political party, then people sooner or later will forget how strong they are going to be if they can group together and voice out in a collective manner," said Chau. "If I do nothing then why am I here in Hong Kong?". He said even if he was not politically active, he feared he could still find himself a target of the police and be pressured to leave Hong Kong by the authorities. "The future is very difficult as a citizen. If you want to exercise your right as a citizen it's very difficult. Not only for the politician or the activist, even the ordinary people need to think twice," said Chau. "It's a dilemma I didn't expect to face in Hong Kong for just being an activist," he added. HK security law is final nail in coffin, say critics Silenced and erased, Hong Kong's decade of protest is now a defiant memory
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Hong Kong opposition party disbands, citing 'immense' pressure
One of Hong Kong's last remaining opposition parties has officially disbanded, its leader announced Sunday, citing "immense political pressure" as Beijing's yearslong crackdown on dissent transforms the semiautonomous Chinese city. The League of Social Democrats (LSD), founded in 2006, championed democratization and grassroots issues in Hong Kong's legislature and on the streets. Its lawmakers were known for their colorful heckling and symbolic protests in legislative sessions, which included lobbing bananas and fish sandwiches. It is the latest opposition party to cease operating after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to end democracy protests that had brought the financial hub to a standstill. "In the face of immense political pressure and after careful deliberation — particularly with regard to the consequences for our members and comrades — we have made the difficult decision to disband," LSD said in a statement. Party chair Chan Po-ying said the decision had been unanimous as the group had "no other choice." Asked if pressure had come from Beijing's middlemen, Chan declined to elaborate. Democratic dreams dashed At the height of its popularity in 2008, LSD held just three seats, but it was responsible for helping mainstream a more radical pro-democracy agenda. After the imposition of the national security law, the city's political opposition dwindled, with most democracy campaigners jailed or overseas. The Civic Party closed in 2023, and in February, the Democratic Party began winding down. Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government's cabinet, said last week that it was a "good thing" that these opposition parties were disbanding. "All these parties have done great damage to Hong Kong and to the proper functioning of (the Legislative Council)," she said. Authorities have since overhauled the electoral system to ensure only Beijing loyalists can hold office. Chan said she had no "false hope" of liberalization. "I don't think Hong Kong will go forward to the democratic system in the near future," she said. According to the party, its bank accounts were closed in 2023, adding to operational difficulties. Six party members have been jailed over the past five years, including Chan's husband and one of LSD's founding members, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung. He remains behind bars after being found guilty of subversion last year in Hong Kong's largest national security trial. 'Domino effect' Another LSD member jailed in the same case, Jimmy Sham, was released from prison last month. At the press conference, he described the group as Hong Kong's first political party to adopt LGBTQ+ equality as part of its core platform. "I sincerely hope that in the future, there will still be voices in society that speak out for the marginalized," Sham added. In recent years, LSD had limited its public activities to a Sunday street booth in a shopping district where a handful of activists handed out flyers while filmed by police. Vice-chairperson Dickson Chau recalled that some passersby would make small signs of support, such as offering him a friendly nod or a beverage. But operating in the current political environment has taken a personal toll. "These four years, I constantly worry about someone (knocking on) my door to arrest me or do a house search ... and when I just walk around the streets, I need to worry, is it a sensitive date?" Chan warned of a "domino effect," saying that her group would not be the last to fold. She urged the public "on the one hand to survive, and on the other hand to try to exercise our rights as citizens."
