Anthem Law 'adds To Teacher Stress And Tension'

Teachers should not be put in the position of having to decide whether the behaviour of pupils constitutes an insult to the national anthem, lawmaker Alvin Yeung says.

Asking teachers to interpret the definition of an insult under the proposed national anthem law and punish pupils who transgress will put "much unnecessary stress and tension", the Civic Party legislator told RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong programme.

Education Secretary Kevin Yeung had earlier suggested it would be down to teachers to punish pupils who step out of line.

"Including the national anthem in the school curriculum may be justifiable, but saying that teachers should be given the task of disciplining students who insult the national anthem is just mindless and irresponsible when there's no clear definition of the word insult," the lawmaker said.

And Alvin Yeung says the proposed anthem law – which will go before lawmakers later this month – is a blow to free speech.

"The word insult brings about a lot of problems," he said. "The ambiguity and lack of clarity could risk abuse. We Hongkongers pride ourselves on our justice system. Hong Kong's laws are not based on subjective wordings. This bill, however, is an exception to this rule."