In a move suggesting they mean business, Hong Kong separatists officially established their "Hong Kong Independence Party (HKIP)" in London and registered it as a political party in February, according to media report. Some members of the party reportedly claimed they are copying the tactics of Tibetan separatists with plans to raise donations overseas and channel the funds back to Hong Kong to support their separatist movement in the SAR. The next part of their strategy is to establish a political party in the United States. All these maneuvers are preparations for pursuing "a big deal" in Hong Kong later on.

Chin Wan, a Hong Kong scholar, is reportedly the key figure behind the scenes. After the failure of the illegal "Occupy Central" movement last year, Chin decided to adopt a "more intelligent" strategy to promote his agenda. This includes commissioning his own proteges overseas to establish the HKIP both in the US and the United Kingdom, according to the report. The key members of the party - including the party leader, secretary and trustee - are all proteges of Chin. They have been inspired by his "city-state" theory which advocates the idea of Hong Kong becoming an independent city-state.

The HKIP managed to register with the UK Electoral Commission, an independent elections watchdog and regulator of party, which is accountable to the British Parliament. The commission makes periodic assessments on political parties. It has the power to terminate the operation of unqualified parties based on certain criteria, among which one important benchmark is whether the registered party has contributed positively to the development of the country or region it belongs to. This suggests that by virtue of its registration with the Electoral Commission, the HKIP must follow British rules when conducting activities in Hong Kong.

The rise of "Hong Kong independence" movement cannot be ignored. It has been evident in a series of protests in the city, with advocates and supporters wielding colonial flags. Some radicals have even tried to trespass PLA garrisons in Hong Kong while wielding colonial flags.

The formation of the HKIP is clear evidence the separatists have gone beyond mere academic discussions. They have taken concrete steps to advance their agenda. Their previously aimless and loosely controlled activities have been gradually turned into well-organized campaigns with explicit guiding principles and a theoretical base.

The "HK independence" advocates are said to be copying the practices of Tibetan separatists. They plan to disrupt Hong Kong by collaborating with foreign forces. The funds raised by HKIP overseas will pay for their separatist activities in the SAR.

The ultimate goal of the HKIP is to seize the governing power of Hong Kong by taking advantage of the chaos they are going to create, and then trying to take the SAR back to its colonial past. The "HK independence" advocates are actually using separatism as a mask to hide their loyalty to their old masters. Hong Kong, a special administrative region closely integrated with the mainland, will never be separated from the motherland. What the separatists are doing, if left unchecked, will turn the city into a bridgehead for subverting the nation at the expense of the interests of Hong Kong society.

Unfortunately, some patriotic people in Hong Kong are not vigilant enough against advocacy of "HK Independence". They believe Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has overreacted to the potential threat of "HK independence", and separatism is so unpopular it is not worthy of attention. It is dangerous for them to believe this because the "Occupy Central" movement also started as a verbal threat but degenerated into acts of violence.

The author is a veteran journalist based in Hong Kong.

(HK Edition 04/13/2015 page10)