Latest: December Issue
Police cancel recruitment talk amid student opposition
- 2015-11-02
- 2015-11-02
By Jennie Tang A police recruitment talk planned to be held at Hong Kong Baptist University was cancelled after the Student Union voiced strong opposition. The Student Union said it welcomes the cancellation and it would act against any police recruitment on campus until the police apologise for their violent acts during the Occupy Movement. The student body issued a strongly-worded statement of disapproval last week after the university announced the police recruitment activity scheduled on November 4. "Students refuse to become part of the state's stability-maintaining machinery," the statement reads. Morris Chan Sze-ho, president of the Student Union of HKBU, said the police decided to cancel the event after the Student Union expressed their concerns through school officials. The police have not given any official explanation for the cancellation. Mr Chan told the The Young Reporter that the statement was issued because most of its members did not want to see police recruitment on campus. After the event was announced, a poster appeared on the school's Democracy Wall which reads, "There is no police, only public security". The latter is how the police are called on the mainland. During last year's Occupy Movement, the police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the protesters, most of them university students. However, some students do not agree with what the student body has done on their behalf. Fong Wing-yee, a final year student at HKBU, said the recruitment should be allowed as some of her schoolmates might be interested in joining the police force. She said the Student Union has been acting radically and the opposition fails to represent the views of all HKBU students. "The talk is not compulsory," Ms Fong said. "It is only for those who are interested to attend. Students can choose not to go …
No sex in the dorms?
- 2014-05-05
- 2014-05-05
Western attitudes add fuel to the controversy of whether sexual behaviours should be allowed in HKBU residence halls.
Be playful and make mistakes
- 2014-05-05
- 2014-05-05
Traditional Chinese-style parenting tells us to obey the rules and behave, but Mr Lawrence Cheng Tan-shui urged the city's youth to "be playful" in a commencement talk at the Education Studies Department. A Baptist College graduate, Mr Cheng landed his career in the entertainment industry since 1978. Described by the host as "a man with a young heart", Mr Cheng walked into the lecture hall with a crutch due to leg injury. As the principal of the TVB's artiste training programme, Mr Cheng said he always reiterated to his trainees the substantial value of making mistakes in early years. "It is my last advice to those who are about to graduate," he said. "Not being wrong does not mean you are right," said Mr Cheng. "Make more mistakes. Then you'll know more, and know better." He encouraged students to raise more questions, instead of passively receiving information from lecturers, authorities, among others in the outside world. When asked about his views on the current situation of Hong Kong, Mr Cheng first responded with a compliment to the student who had thrown him that question. "This may be a critical moment. Overall it does not look good. But let us take it as an opportunity." he said. Throughout the talk, Mr Cheng neglected addressing his own achievements, but kept reminding students that, "This is your era. And you should live your life on your own terms." Edited by Jessica Lee
Pro-democracy heavyweights drive the centenary debate
- 2014-03-17
- 2014-03-17
Two veteran legislators went to great lengths to outwit each other in a debate to celebrate the centenary of Hong Kong University's Debating Society Formally-clad legislative councilors engaged in a verbal showdown as they eloquently expressed their views on different issues and skillfully challenged those of others. The arena was not the Legislative Council complex, but rather the Rayson Huang Theatre of the University of Hong Kong, where outstanding past members of Hong Kong University's Debating Society returned to their alma mater to celebrate the society's 100th anniversary. On January 25, the Debating Society of Hong Kong University Students' Union hosted The Centenary Debate, in which past and present team members debated the motion "One should always express his or her affection verbally". The spotlight of the debate fell on the "free-debate session" where LegCo members Mr Ronny Tong Ka-wah and Mr Alan Leong Kah-kit faced off against each other. As they moved beyond the Legislative Council complex to a lecture hall, tension was replaced by ironic jokes about the TV licensing saga. "He (Leung Chun-ying) has an inclination to dislike HKTV but has refused to disclose his reasons for it. How can this be justifiable," said Mr Ronny Tong Ka-wah, representative of the affirmative team made up of alumni members. If one an inclination for something, he or she should express it verbally. Therefore Mr Leung should explain why HKTV did not get a TV license," added Mr Tong. Mr Leong, who was assisting his fellow junior teammates on the opposition team, echoed his opponent's words. "Regarding Mr Leung's case, of course he should explain verbally his reasons (for not granting a free-to-air license to HKTV). He is a principal official who is accountable to us, right," said Mr Leong. The affirmative team was eventually crowned the winner after …
Telling stories to alter victims' lives
- 2014-03-17
- 2014-03-17
Narrative therapy helps victims of sexual harassment overcome traumatic experiences through storytelling techniques.
Letter from the Editor : What Mr Noel Biderman has in store for the glitzy city？
- 2013-12-15
- 2013-12-15
In the December issue, we talk to Mr Noel Biderman, founder and CEO of the controversial infidelity website Ashley Madison, about why he has decided to tap into the Hong Kong market and what he has in store for the glitzy city. We also delve into the city's raging debate on the extramarital dating site, which made its debut in Hong Kong in August this year, by speaking with local religious leaders and family planning experts. As the political wrangling over the method of nominating chief executive candidates in 2017 shows no sign of abating, we have decided to get up close and personal with veteran pro-Beijing barrister Ms Maria Tam Wai-chu to find out her vision for universal suffrage in Hong Kong. On the societal front, we offer insight into a quiet revolution spearheaded by a group of local guerilla gardeners who plant "seed bombs" on the streets to trigger rethink on the ownership of the city's public spaces. With the rising threat of cybercrime in Hong Kong, we have decided to take a closer look at a recent surge in webcam blackmail cases involving sex chat between Hong Kong residents and overseas nationals. Finally, we welcome any feedback letters or emails from you on our stories and design layouts. Last but not least, we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays. Editor-in-chief Brian Yap