Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu (, born 5 June 1981) is a
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...
and politician in Hong Kong. He is the former Leader of the
Civic Party
The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong.
The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...
and former member of the
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kon ...
, representing
New Territories East
New Territories East is the eastern part of New Territories, covering North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, and Sai Kung District.
History
All districts except Sai Kung District have been connected by the Kowloon–Canton Railway (now East Rail line) since it ...
after winning the
2016 by-election. On 11 November 2020, Yeung was disqualified from the Legislative Council, along with three other lawmakers of the pan-democratic camp, by the central government in Beijing on request of the Hong Kong government. A mass resignation of pan-democrats the same day left the Legislative Council without a substantial opposition.
Background
Yeung was born in
Yuen Long
Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north N ...
, Hong Kong in 1981 as the only child to a restaurant owner and a jewellery dealer. He and his parents emigrated to Canada in the early 1990s after the 1989
Tiananmen massacre
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
.
Yeung graduated from the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...
with a degree in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and obtained a
master of laws in constitutional and administrative laws from
Peking University around 2003.
Alvin’s ancestral hometown is Qingyuan city, Guangdong province, his maternal grandfather and grandmother were both have chaozhou origin( 潮汕人)
Political career
Inspired by the major
2003 July 1 march
The Hong Kong 1 July protests was an annual protest rally originally held by the Civil Human Rights Front from the day of handover in 1997 on the HKSAR establishment day. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attenti ...
, Yeung joined a group called "
7.1 People Pile". He campaigned for
Alan Leong Kah-kit
Alan Leong Kah-kit (; born 22 February 1958), SC is a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Kowloon East geographical constituency, and the sitting-Chairman of the Civic Party. He was also vice-chairperson of t ...
, a barrister-turned-politician, in the
2004 Legislative Council election. From the following year, he studied for a Master of Arts in legal studies at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
and became a certified barrister in 2008.
He joined the
Civic Party
The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong.
The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...
in 2011 and ran in the
2011 District Council election in
Tai Po Market but was defeated. He was later elected to the
Election Committee through the legal subsector in the
2011 Hong Kong Election Committee Subsector election
The 2011 Election Committee subsector elections took place between 7:30 am and 10:30 pm on 11 December 2011. The Election Committee sub-sector elections are a part of the contemporary political process of Hong Kong. The election's purpo ...
. In
2012 Legislative Council election, he partnered with
Ronny Tong
Ronny Tong Ka-wah, SC KC (; born 28 August 1950 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel and politician. He is a current non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He co-founded the Civic Party and was a member of the Legis ...
to run in the
New Territories East
New Territories East is the eastern part of New Territories, covering North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, and Sai Kung District.
History
All districts except Sai Kung District have been connected by the Kowloon–Canton Railway (now East Rail line) since it ...
and successfully got Tong re-elected. He gave up his Canadian citizenship for the candidacy in the election.
Yeung is currently chairman of the New Territories East branch of the party and member of the Appeal Panel (Housing), and also co-host of the political talk-show "Teacup in a Storm" on
D100 radio station.
He was recommended by Ronny Tong when Tong resigned from the Legislative Council in June 2015 to take up the seat in the
February by-election. He retained the seat for the Civic Party by defeating
Beijing-loyalist DAB candidate
Holden Chow Ho-ding
Holden Chow Ho-ding (; born 7 June 1979) is a Hong Kong solicitor and politician. He is vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong, and a former cha ...
and
localist
Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identi ...
Hong Kong Indigenous
Hong Kong Indigenous is a localist political group established in 2015. It is known for its hardline localist stances and militant methods of protesting. It has been actively involved in protests and engaged into violent clashes with police, ...
candidate
Edward Leung Tin-kei, receiving 160,880 votes in the
New Territories East constituency.
In the
September 2016 general election, Yeung sought re-election in New Territories East. From his leading position in opinion polls, he cooperated with
Labour Party's
Fernando Cheung and later on with other pan-democrat candidates to split the votes evenly to maximise the block's chances of winning seven out of the nine seats. He was re-elected with 52,416 votes, along with six other anti-establishment candidates. Following the election, he succeeded Alan Leong as party leader, in an acting capacity from 1 October and formally, through a party election, in November.
Disqualification
Five weeks ahead of the (subsequently postponed)
2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council Election, on 30 July 2020, as Yeung prepared to defend his seat, the government stated that he was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid', under an opaque process in which, nominally, civil servants –
returning officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.
Australia
In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a state electoral ...
s – assess whether, for instance, a candidate had objected to the enactment of the
national security law, or was sincere in statements made disavowing separatism. On 11 November 2020, following a decision of the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress he was disqualified from Legislative Council along with three other lawmakers; this resulted in the resignation of a further 15 pro-democracy lawmakers.
Arrest
On 6 January 2021, Yeung was among 53 members of the pro-democratic camp who were
arrested
An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...
under the
national security law, specifically its provision regarding alleged subversion. The group stood accused of the organisation of and participation in unofficial primary elections held by the camp in July 2020. Yeung was released on bail on 7 January.
Bail hearings
On 28 February 2021, Yeung was among 47 members of the pro-democratic camp who were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law. He was denied bail and instead remain in detention before trial on 1 March.
On the third day on 3 March, Alvin Yeung announced his resignations from the Civic party. Alvin Yeung said before addressing the court: "As a barrister, I would never have imagined that I would have to address the court in the docks. On March 2 five years ago, I was sworn in as a legislative councillor, fighting for Hongkongers, but five years later, I am fighting for my own freedom." Chief Magistrate Victor So adjourned the third day proceedings at 8:30 p.m. During the bail hearings, Yeung resigned from the Civic Party and later announced his decision to leave politics, also penning an open letter together with
Kwok Ka-ki
Kwok Ka-ki (; born 20 July 1961) is a democratic Hong Kong former politician. He is a private urology doctor, having graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. Kwok is a member of the Civic Party, having joined on ...
,
Jeremy Tam
Jeremy Jansen Tam Man-ho (; born 13 June 1975) is a Hong Kong politician, airline pilot, and former Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Civic Party's Kowloon East (constituency), Kowloon East Branch. He was a former member of the Legislative Council ...
and Lee Yue-shun, publicized on 15 April, which called for the party to disband.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeung, Alvin
1981 births
Living people
Hong Kong emigrants to Canada
Peking University alumni
Alumni of the University of Bristol
University of Western Ontario alumni
Barristers of Hong Kong
Civic Party politicians
Hong Kong radio presenters
HK LegCo Members 2012–2016
HK LegCo Members 2016–2021
Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021
People expelled from public office
Prisoners and detainees of Hong Kong
Hong Kong political prisoners