The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force has foiled a terrorist plot of separatist group Returning Valiant, which was planning bomb attacks on public facilities, including court buildings, cross-harbor tunnels and railways facilities. Nine individuals have been arrested in connection with this case, including a management employee of a local university and six secondary school students. Had the plot not been busted, it would have stayed on the course to cause heavy casualties. Clearly, Hong Kong is threatened not only by “lone wolf” attacks on police officers but also acts of terrorism that indiscriminately target civilians. The special administrative region government still has a long way to go in maintaining national security and public order, as well as safeguarding public safety.
It is worth mentioning that, as the hearing of the first case under the National Security Law for Hong Kong proceeded, expert witnesses pointed out that the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong” connotes “Hong Kong independence”. ... As long as the seed of separatism remains, there will hardly be any peace for Hong Kong. For such inhumane extremist groups that threaten national security and public safety with terrorism, the only proper way to stop them is through relentless justice
Returning Valiant is a notorious group that has been involved in similar cases in the past. Its members openly promoted violence in the streets, with some prosecuted for burglary and violating quarantine rules. It is affiliated with radical groups that actively participated in the “black revolution” in 2019 and has vowed to keep “the flames of revolution” burning. It not only talked about wreaking havoc in Hong Kong, but also took action, as evidenced in this case. At a hostel rented by the organization in Tsim Sha Tsui, police have seized equipment and chemicals for manufacturing TATP explosives, plus air guns, communication equipment for contacting foreign forces, and cash. It is appalling that they were planning to launch attacks with TATP, which is an explosive commonly used by terrorists around the world; Hong Kong police have seized this type of explosive materials multiple times in the past two years.
The police have classified this case as terrorism since the group’s operational guidelines have specified where the bombs should be placed. The planned bomb attacks targeted mostly public facilities, apparently intending to cause widespread panic and fear through mass destruction. However, what shocked many people the most is that six of the nine suspects are secondary school students, a school employee and a management employee of a local university, who is the head of the group mainly responsible for plotting bomb attacks, luring students wanting to leave Hong Kong to commit crimes, and assisting the perpetrators to flee Hong Kong afterward. Given that many youngsters have been brainwashed and radicalized by politically motivated teachers and school staff, it cannot be excluded that there are other homegrown terrorist groups hatching their own plots in secret.
Members of the public in Hong Kong have heard a lot about “tainted schoolteachers” who encouraged students to “break the law to achieve justice” in recent years, but a university management staff member becoming the mastermind of a terrorist group pushed the definition of “killer mentor” to another level. Indeed, in recent years there have been a large number of confused students taking to the streets and indulging in violence, or even becoming new recruits of terrorist groups. These phenomena are more or less the result of the connivance of educators and the propagation of fallacies by “tainted schoolteachers”. In fact, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who is now behind bars for public-nuisance offenses, was an associate professor in law at the University of Hong Kong when he launched, with other two co-founders, the illegal “Occupy Central” campaign in 2014, and openly advocated “achieving justice by violating the law”. There were also teachers who led students to take part in the “black revolution” in 2019.
The day after the lone-wolf attack by a man, who killed himself after stabbing a police officer on the night of July 1, some people, including at least one young couple with small children, brought flowers to the crime scene to mourn the deceased attacker; they were in effect poisoning young minds with their acts. As if that was not disturbing enough, a law professor of the University of Hong Kong defended such a public display of admiration for terrorists by saying that paying tribute to the attacker could be “out of sympathy”. More appallingly, some members of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union Council on Wednesday night observed “a minute of silence” for the death of the lone-wolf attacker. The council then passed a motion to express its “deep sadness” about the assailant’s death, as well as its “appreciation for his sacrifice to Hong Kong”.
Expressing sympathy for terrorists and glorifying an act of terrorism is no doubt in contempt of human decency and basic morality held by people around the world. Such moral corruption is utterly intolerable in a civilized society!
There are many reasons why domestic terrorism has become real and present in Hong Kong, which was known as one of the safest cities in the world. In addition to years of brainwashing by “tainted schoolteachers” and misguidance by foreign as well as local media controlled by anti-China forces, some members of the younger generation have also been subject to questionable if not corrupt parenting that is rooted in ideological bigotry, not to forget politically motivated apologists who routinely advocate leniency for juvenile delinquents. So much so, many underage students became accustomed to taking wrongs for right and underage “privilege” in front of the law, until it is too late to stop. Everyone in Hong Kong could be a potential victim if such distorted beliefs are allowed to thrive.
It is worth mentioning that, as the hearing of the first case under the National Security Law for Hong Kong proceeded, expert witnesses pointed out that the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong” connotes “Hong Kong independence”. The Chinese name of the terrorist group Returning Valiant connotes “liberate Hong Kong”, which shows that the group not only pursues Hong Kong independence but also uses it to justify terrorism. As long as the seed of separatism remains, there will hardly be any peace for Hong Kong. For such inhumane extremist groups that threaten national security and public safety with terrorism, the only proper way to stop them is through relentless justice.
The author is a current affairs commentator.
Source：China Daily ［2021-07-12］
