Exclusive | Anglican leader says Hong Kong schools should not discuss independence unless pupils are told of likely ‘civil war’

Church’s provincial secretary general in city also thinks politically charged issue might be too sensitive now for university academics to research

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Anglican priest Rev Peter Koon Ho-ming is supervisor of St Stephen’s Girls’ College in Mid-Levels. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 3:45pm, 16 Sep 2017Updated: 11:28pm, 16 Sep 2017

The controversial topic of advocating Hong Kong’s independence from China should not be discussed in schools without telling pupils about the bloodshed it would likely unleash, according to a top leader of the local Anglican Church.

In an exclusive interview, Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming, the church’s provincial secretary general, also said the issue might be too sensitive now for university academics to research the possibility.

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Koon is a senior priest for a religious institution that claims up to 40,00 followers in a city where the Protestant congregation is estimated to number 500,000. The Anglican Church, known locally as the Sheng Kung Hui, is especially influential in education, operating more than 130 schools and kindergartens.

Koon serves as supervisor for a number of them, including prestigious St Stephen’s Girls’ College, whose alumni include pro-Beijing political heavyweight Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai and New People’s Party chairwoman and former chief executive candidate Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.

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Earlier this month, as the new academic year began, messages in support of Hong Kong breaking away from Beijing surfaced on noticeboards and prominent campus sites at several universities, triggering a debate on whether the actions were legal. On September 7, the issue was complicated after a poster taunting an education official over her son’s recent suicide appeared on a noticeboard at Education University.