Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been reopened as returning students are welcomed to their various colleges with tighter security and access controls after their institution suffered severe damages during the Hong Kong protests and occupation of Universities.
Since the siege at Polytechnic University, the academic institution opened this week, but the environment students return to will not be quite the same as they left it.
The political turmoil began as a result of the extradition bill and lasted for more than six months.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-Ngor officially withdrawn the law, but the protests won’t end as the protesters shifted their demands towards prosecution of Hong Kong riot police.
The Hong Kong leader, however, would not set up an independent inquiry into police conduct during the protests. Mainly due to the strong opposition of the police, who fear liability for their violence.
Notably, security has stepped up as students return to the Chinese university. Entrances are guarded, and those wishing to attend need to reveal their identity and show they have legitimate business at the institution’s concern.
Tighter security and access controls were also in place at the Sha Tin site another Chinese university for its first full day in operation since the occupation by radical anti-government protesters in November, which devastated swathes of the campus and halted classes.
In a letter to staff and students, Chinese University vice-chancellor and president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi admitted that some inconveniences are expected for the opening period of the second term.
He requested for patience and understanding from the returning students in allowing time for the campus to ease back to its former state of diversity and vibrancy. Rocky added that there are greater challenges ahead, mainly involving rebuilding confidence among university members and stakeholders.
Notably, universities that suffered worst damages during the protests with buildings vandalized and dangerous materials stolen from laboratories are making repairs worth HK$70 million (US$9 million), including HK$30 million to fix or replace school buses.
Chinese University returns to Wuhan pneumonia
Chinese University is also witnessing their students returning with masks over the health scare, as one student was sent to the hospital with symptoms similar to that of a mystery pneumonia virus that has gripped mainland China.
Many others were seen wearing surgical or particulate filter masks after Wuhan authorities recently. The number of people admitted to hospital with the unknown type of pneumonia to 59, up from the previous 44.
According to investigations on the mainland, no evidence of human-to-human transmission has been identified, and there are also no known cases of the virus outside Wuhan.
The Centre for Health Protection said a CUHK student was found to have common viruses, including a type of coronavirus unrelated to the cases in Wuhan. In contrast, the other five new cases were found to be flu infections.
Police brutality left unchecked
The Hong Kong government has continued to witness more protests as police brutality continues, and riot police with misconduct is left unchecked. According to the latest poll, only 12 percent of respondents would vote for Lam if they could, while 81 percent would not.
Many experts have asked the current government could employ former governor Murray MacLehose tactics, who handled the conflict between police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption back in the 1970s by granting a partial amnesty to officers involved in corruption cases before a cut-off date.
CUHK was ranked as world’s #49 in 2019 in QS ranking. CUHK business school was ranked 17th in the Financial Times EMBA rankings, and its MBA programme was placed 27th worldwide in the Global MBA Rankings (2013) and 94th in the Economist’s 2012 ranking.
