Hong Kong University Expels Student Who Sought Investigation Into Deadly Apartment Fire

A Hong Kong university has expelled a student who publicly called for an independent investigation into an apartment fire that claimed 168 lives, marking another troubling development in the erosion of academic freedom in the former British territory.

Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old politics student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, received notice this week that the institution has terminated his enrollment due to what officials described as “multiple acts of misconduct.” The decision follows a disciplinary review that began after national security police detained Kwan for two nights last year on charges of “seditious intent.”

The facts of this case warrant careful examination. In November, Kwan distributed flyers advocating for an independent investigation into a deadly fire at a Hong Kong apartment complex. This act of civic engagement, which would be considered routine political expression in free societies, resulted in his detention by authorities operating under Hong Kong’s national security law. Following his release on bail, the Chinese University of Hong Kong initiated disciplinary proceedings against him.

The university issued a statement Friday declining to comment on individual cases but confirmed its policy allowing for student termination after three demerits are accumulated through disciplinary actions. The institution’s decision to expel Kwan arrived through a letter from the student discipline committee on Thursday.

Kwan maintains that the university did not explicitly penalize him for the November arrest itself, though the temporal connection between his detention and the subsequent disciplinary review raises significant questions about institutional independence from state pressure.

This case illustrates the broader transformation of Hong Kong’s once-vibrant civil society since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020. Universities that once served as bastions of free inquiry and political debate have increasingly aligned their policies with mainland Chinese standards of acceptable discourse.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, historically regarded as one of Asia’s premier institutions of higher learning, now finds itself in the uncomfortable position of expelling a student whose offense consisted of requesting transparency regarding a tragedy that killed nearly 200 people. The question of why an independent investigation into such a catastrophic fire would constitute grounds for police intervention, much less academic expulsion, speaks volumes about the current state of governance in Hong Kong.

For those who remember Hong Kong as a beacon of liberty in Asia, these developments serve as a sobering reminder of how quickly institutional freedoms can disappear when political pressure mounts. Universities, which should stand as defenders of free inquiry, have instead become enforcers of political orthodoxy.

The international community watches these developments with concern, as Hong Kong’s transformation from a free society into an extension of mainland China’s authoritarian system continues apace. What happens to students like Miles Kwan matters not only for Hong Kong but for anyone who values the principle that citizens should be able to question their government without fear of retribution.

And that is the way it is.