Hong Kong boy, 16, admits joining pro-independence group based in Taiwan

A 16-year-old boy has admitted joining a Taiwan-based political group to seek Hong Kong’s independence in breach of the national security law.

The Form Three student pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession between November 2024 and July this year for his role as secretary of the Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union.

The District Court heard that the union, founded by fugitive activist Alan Keung Ka-wai, advocated Hong Kong’s “liberation” from mainland Chinese rule, sought international recognition for a self-proclaimed “Hong Kong Parliament” and supported the establishment of an army to “restore and defend” the city.

Some of the party’s members were sworn in as so-called members of parliament after an election earlier this year, with Keung serving as the pseudo-legislature’s chairman.

On the day of the union’s founding on November 6 last year, the boy approached Keung via WhatsApp expressing his interest in joining the group and saying he could help with his analytical and public speaking skills.

Text conversations retrieved from the student’s mobile phone show that he had advised on the union’s name and emblem design, as well as drafting its constitution and meeting agendas.

The defendant had also distributed the party’s promotional materials online and discussed with fellow members how to drum up anti-communist sentiments abroad, establish diplomatic ties with Taiwan and “settle the score” with mainland investments in Hong Kong after the city achieved independence.

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