Yeung Kwong ( zh, t=楊光; 1926 – 16 May 2015) was a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

and

labour rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influe ...

activist. He served as chairman of the

Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...

(HKFTU) from 1962 to 1980 and as its president from 1980 to 1988. He played a leading role in the

1967 Hong Kong riots The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the British colonial go ...

against British rule in Hong Kong.

Trade unionist career

Born in 1926, Yeung became a member of the Hong Kong Tramways Workers Union in 1948 and led strikes by

Hong Kong Tramway Hong Kong Tramways (HKT) is a narrow-gauge tram system in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by RATP Dev Transdev Asia, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, with a branch circulating through Happy Valley. Ho ...

's fare conductors the following year. He served as chairman of the

(FTU), the largest

pro-Beijing The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...

labour union in Hong Kong, from 1962 to 1980, and then as its president between 1980 and 1988. From 1973 to 1987, he was a local deputy to the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2,9 ...

1967 riots

During the 1967 Hong Kong riots, which was inspired by the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

and escalated from a labour dispute at a plastic-flower factory in

San Po Kong San Po Kong () is an area in New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is largely industrial and partly residential. Administratively, it belongs to Wong Tai Sin District. Location San Po Kong is located south of Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill, north of th ...

, Yeung served as director of the Committee of Hong Kong and Kowloon Compatriots from All Circles for Struggle Against British Hong Kong Persecution. Thousands were injured and 51 died, 15 of whom were killed in bombings planted by the leftists.

Grand Bauhinia Medal controversy

Nominated by the FTU, then Chief Executive

Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...

awarded the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...

, the highest honour in Hong Kong, to Yeung for his "outstanding contribution to the labour movement and labour welfare in Hong Kong and for his dedicated community service" in 2001. The award ceremony was held on 13 October 2001, and controversy immediately rose after the announcement, with many people believing that Tung, who was seeking

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

at the time, was pandering to the FTU, which is an important bloc of vote in the unique Chief Executive election system in Hong Kong.''Crisis and Transformation in China's Hong Kong''
Ming K. Chan, Alvin Y. So, Lynn T. White III, M.E. Sharpe, 2002, pages 15-16 Yeung had in 1996 and 2002 sat on the

Election Committee The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Ho ...

that elected Tung as Chief Executive. Some critics asserted that Yeung was not suitable for the highest honour of the land. Critics argued the event was a symbolic gesture for approval of the 1967 riot. Criticisms also came from victims of the riots and officials responsible for putting down the unrest, but the government declined to say if Yeung's "contributions" included what he did during the protests. "It is not a matter of who encouraged this kind of action omb attacks Oppression will result in popular revolt," Yeung responded, also replying that deaths and injuries were inevitable in the struggle when asked if he felt sorry for the victims.

Death

In the morning of 16 May 2015, Yeung died at the

Prince of Wales Hospital Prince of Wales Hospital is a large of Tertiary referral hospital and large of teaching hospital from Faculty of Medicine in Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong.. Named after Charles, Prince of Wales (now ...

Sha Tin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ...

after he underwent a heart operation. Acting Chief Executive

Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Sec ...

sent her condolences to Yeung's family and praised him for his contributions to the labour movement.So, Peter. 2015
"Veteran unionist Yeung Kwong, ringleader in 1967 Hong Kong riots, dies at 89"
''South China Morning Post'', 16 May 2015, Chief Executive

CY Leung Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...

, Secretary for Labour and Welfare

Matthew Cheung Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, (; born 20 November 1950) is a former Hong Kong politician who served as Chief Secretary for Administration from 2017 to 2021. Cheung previously served as the Secretary for Labour and Welfare for ten years. He was award ...

and other senior officials including the Director of Beijing's Liaison Office

Zhang Xiaoming Zhang Xiaoming (; born 3 September 1963) is a Chinese politician. He was the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong and then of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, before being demoted to deputy direc ...

attended the funeral on 14 June 2015. Protesters gathered outside his funeral with banners in the memory of those who died at the hands of the leftists during the 1967 riots. Some brought champagne to celebrate his death, while others brought pineapples (a metaphor and Cantonese slang for bombs and grenades) and cursed him.

References

Citations

Sources

RTHK article on Yeung's involvement in 1967 riots

Editorial in Taipei Times, 2001

Hong Kong Hansard record on proceedings, 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeung, Kwong Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Cantonese people 1967 Hong Kong riots Delegates to the 4th National People's Congress Delegates to the 5th National People's Congress Delegates to the 6th National People's Congress Members of the 7th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Hong Kong trade unionists Date of birth missing 1926 births 2015 deaths People imprisoned on charges of terrorism Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong