Hong Kong boy, 16, admits joining pro-independence group based in Taiwan
Form Three pupil has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit secession for role in group founded by fugitive activist
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.
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.