Au Nok-hin

Au Nok-hin (Chinese: 區諾軒; born 18 June 1987) is a pro-democracy politician in Hong Kong. He is the former member of the Legislative Council for Hong Kong Island from 2018 to 2019 and member of the Southern District Council for Lei Tung I from 2012 to 2019.

Au Nok-hin
區諾軒
Au in the 2018 Legislative Council by-election
Member of the Legislative Council
In office 21 March 2018 – 17 December 2019
Preceded by	Nathan Law
Constituency	Hong Kong Island
Convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front
In office October 2016 – October 2017
Preceded by	Jimmy Shum
Succeeded by	Sammy Ip
Member of the Southern District Council
In office 1 January 2012 – 31 December 2019
Preceded by	Wong Che-ngai
Succeeded by	Chan Yan-yi
Constituency	Lei Tung I
Personal details
Born	18 June 1987 Hong Kong
Political party	Democratic Party (2009–17)
Other political affiliations	Left 21 (2010–14)
Residence	Kwun Tong, Kowloon
Alma mater	Chinese University of Hong Kong
Occupation	District councillor

Au Nok-hin
Traditional Chinese	區諾軒
Simplified Chinese	区诺轩
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ōu Nuòxuān Yue: Cantonese Jyutping au1 nok6 hin1

From 2016 to 2017, Au was the convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front. In the 2018 Legislative Council by-election triggered by oath-taking controversy, Au replaced Demosistō candidate Agnes Chow who was disqualified over her alleged pro-independence stance. He was elected with more than 130,000 votes. Au was a member of the Democratic Party before he quit in 2017. Due to Chow's disqualification being ruled as unlawful by the court, the by-election was seen as invalid and Au was unseated in December 2019 as a result.[1]

Early life and education

Au was born in Hong Kong in 1987 and grew up in Kai Yip Estate in Kowloon Bay. He studied at the Conservative Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School and the St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School. He participated in the students' union when he studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and participated in the anti-Express Rail Link protests in 2009 and 2010. He continued his study in a master program in political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.[2]

District Council and party politics

Au joined the Democratic Party in 2009 and was first elected to the Southern District Council at the age of 24 in the 2011 District Council election, running in Lei Tung I, a constituency covered the Lei Tung Estate with another young Democrat Lo Kin-hei.[3]

Au belongs to the progressive spectrum in the party, urging the party to take a more radical stance for upholding the interests and core values of the Hong Kong people. He also opposed party's stance to meet with the Beijing officials in secret. He became the youngest candidate to run in the 2012 party leadership election against the two chairpersons and veteran legislators Emily Lau and Sin Chung-kai, in the wake of Albert Ho's resignation as chairman after the party's disastrous defeat in 2012 Legislative Council election. He received 14 votes, as compared to Lau's 149 votes and Sin's 133 votes.

Au was in James To's ticket in territory-wide District Council (Second) "super seats" in the 2012 Legislative Council election, placing third after To and Andrew Chiu Ka-yin. Although Au was not elected in To's list, his ticket saw To being elected with 316,468 votes, the largest votes a ticket received in Hong Kong's electoral history.

Au was a member of the central committee of the Democratic Party.

He had a frontline role in the 2014 Hong Kong protests who stormed the "Civic Square", or the forecourt of the Central Government Complex on September 26, in the lead-up to the mass sit-ins. He has also addressed the crowds in Mong Kok some nights.[4]

In 2014, he challenged the incumbent chairwoman Emily Lau again in the leadership re-election in a four-way contest with legislator Wu Chi-wai and party treasurer Stanley Ng.[4] He received 33 member votes and was eliminated in the first round.[5]

Legislative Council bids

Au was tipped to run in the 2016 Legislative Council election in Hong Kong Island with another rising star Chai Man-hon.[6] However, both Au and Chai did not submit their nominations in the intra-party pre-election primary. Au is planning to run in the Wholesale and Retail functional constituency, a long-time stronghold of the pro-Beijing camp and had been held by the Liberal Party. As he is a partner of his mother's fashion retail company which has two shops and one booth in Sincere Department Store, he is eligible to run in the trade-based constituency.[7] He received 1,231 votes and was defeated by Liberal Party's Shiu Ka-fai.

From 2016 to 2017, he was the convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front. He also ran in the 2016 Election Committee subsector elections and received 561 votes, being defeated by Vincent Fang's ticket.

In 2017, he quit the Democratic Party "to pursue his own political beliefs".[8] He was later tipped as a candidate for the 2018 Legislative Council Hong Kong Island by-election for the seat left vacant after the disqualification of Nathan Law of Demosistō. Demosistō member Agnes Chow who later became the candidate, was disqualified by the returning officer which led to Au becoming the common candidate of the pro-democracy camp. He was elected with more than 130,000 votes, about 51 per cent of the vote share, defeating Judy Chan of the New People's Party.[9]

Personal life

Au was married in 2016. He hosts an internet radio programme about Japanese culture and teaches Japanese in the estate he serves. He is known to be a fan of Japanese anime.[10]

Arrests concerning anti-extradition bill protests

Au Nok-hin was arrested in his residence in Kwun Tong on 30 August 2019 regarding his role in a demonstration on 8 July, a part of the anti-extradition bill protests. He was accused of obstructing and assaulting a police officer with the volume from his loudspeaker.[11] On the same day, Hong Kong police also arrested numerous pro-democracy figures and politicians.[12] Ko Chun-pong, a Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Branch, alleged that he felt discomfort in his right ear because Au's speaker seemed too loud. Another police officer, Kwan Chi-ho, testified that Au hit his riot shield three times.[13]

On 18 April 2020, Au was arrested again, as one of 15 Hong Kong high-profile pro-democracy figures, on suspicion of organizing, publicizing or taking part in several unauthorized assemblies between August and October 2019 in the course of the anti-extradition bill protests.[14][15]

On 24 April, Au was sentenced to 140 hours of community service after a judge convicted him of assault for using a loudspeaker near the police.[16] Au had maintained his innocence and stated his intentions to file an appeal.[17] Since his conviction, the Hong Kong Bar Association launched an inquiry against Vivien Chan Man-wai, the prosecutor in Au's case, after she was accused of violating professional standards.[18][19]

See also

• Lo Kin-hei

References

1. "Pro-democracy lawmakers Au Nok-hin and Gary Fan lose seats as Hong Kong's top court rejects election petition appeals". Hong Kong Free Press. 17 December 2019.
2. Chong, Tanna (30 December 2013). "Debate heats up over giving district councillors seats on 2017 nominating panel". South China Morning Post.
3. "Young stars aim to empower district seats". South China Morning Post. 21 November 2011.
4. Ng, Joyce (10 December 2014). "Au Nok-hin says Democratic Party needs more young blood". South China Morning Post.
5. Ng, Joyce (15 December 2014). "Re-elected Democratic Party head Emily Lau calls for party to focus on younger Hong Kong generation". South China Morning Post.
6. Lam, Jeffie; Chong, Tanna (12 September 2013). "Democrats groom hopefuls ahead of 2016 Legco poll". South China Morning Post.
7. Ng, Joyce; Fung, Owen (17 June 2016). "Hong Kong pan-democrats eye traditionally pro-establishment wholesale and retail seat". South China Morning Post.
8. "Who is Au Nok-hin? Hong Kong pan-democrats' next Legco by-election candidate, that's who". South China Morning Post. 28 January 2018.
9. "Election Result - Hong Kong Island". Electoral Affairs Commission.
10. "【概觀民主黨．世代交替 2】接棒 — 他們終於 Evolve 了，然後呢？". Stand News. 9 August 2016.
11. Cheng, Kris (2019-10-04). "Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker Au Nok-hin charged with assaulting police using loudspeaker". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
12. Chan, Holmes; Grundy, Tom (30 August 2019). "Hong Kong lawmakers Jeremy Tam and Au Nok-hin arrested, as police continue round-up of democrats". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
13. Grundy, Tom (2020-04-06). "Hong Kong democrat Au Nok-hin convicted of assault after using loudhailer near cop". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
14. Yu, Elaine; Ramzy, Austin (18 April 2020). "Amid Pandemic, Hong Kong Arrests Major Pro-Democracy Figures". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
15. Wong, Rachel (18 April 2020). "15 Hong Kong pro-democracy figures arrested in latest police round up". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
16. Wong, Rachel (2020-04-24). "Community service for ex-Hong Kong lawmaker convicted of assault after using loudhailer near cop". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
17. "Au Nok-hin gets community service for police attacks - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
18. "Bar Association to investigate if barrister violated professional code". South China Morning Post. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
19. "Magistrate targeted after denying lawyer's complaint - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 2020-07-17.