No tolerance for those trying to split country

Both the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued strong statements on Saturday expressing their resolute support for the SAR government in its bid to reign in any collusion between Hong Kong separatists and external forces.

Their backing came after the SAR government condemned remarks made by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, on March 26.

Speaking at a seminar organized by a Taiwan separatist group in Taipei, Tai, who initiated the illegal "Occupy Central" movement in 2014, called for the establishment of an "independent" Hong Kong, which he believed should be decided through "democratic self-determination".