Top judge tells youth to respect rights of others

Hong Kong's top judge has urged young people, as the city's future leaders, to respect the rights and freedoms of others.

Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, made the call at a secondary education forum on Wednesday.

Since the ongoing unrest broke out in mid-June, police have arrested more than 700 underage students during protests characterized by violence and vandalism.

During the often violent demonstrations, some hardcore rioters, mostly young people, paralyzed traffic, vandalized property and attacked people holding opposing views.

In a keynote speech themed "Today's students, tomorrow's leaders", Ma stressed that a vital lesson for students to learn in schools is to build a sense of community.

"Our students will have to be a part of the community in which they live and work. One of the premises of education is the preparation of our youth for integration into the community," he said.

"If today's students are to justify their role as tomorrow's leaders, a sense of community rooted in the fundamental influence of tolerance, respect and compromise is something they and all of us must possess."

Moreover, the sense of community is also implicit within the concept of the rule of law, a cornerstone of Hong Kong's community, as a core value of the latter is to respect the rights of others, said Ma.

The fundamentals of the rule of law boil down to the existence and recognition of the rights and freedoms of members of the community, he said.

Ma also reiterated the role of the city's judges amid the social unrest. The judiciary's job is to strike a balance. "There must be respect for not only individual rights, but also the rights of other people in society."

To help students build a sense of belonging, Ma called for help from teachers, who are responsible for "guiding the students in the right direction".

Thus, the sense of community with respect to others' rights should surely be one of the many objectives of education, Ma stressed. "It is to provide our students with the tools to be able to decide for themselves, and be convinced how vital it is to embrace this concept."

The forum, the Education Colloquium 2019, invited about 200 cross-sector representatives in the city's education sector to exchange ideas on nurturing talents. They include political and business leaders, school heads and teachers, as well as scholars and parents.

Zhang Xiang, president of the University of Hong Kong, also delivered a speech at the forum.

The HKU chief took an outspoken, tough stance against violence over the course of more than four months of protests in Hong Kong street.

In an open letter to all HKU alumni on Monday, Zhang reiterated firm opposition against violence, saying he's "deeply distressed" about the escalating conflicts and violence in the protests.

Stressing he's against any form of violence by any party, Zhang said peaceful and rational exchanges of views are much needed now and HKU "must be able to serve the purpose".