A teenager was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months' probation after being found guilty of carrying an imitation firearm near a rally outside the Legislative Council Complex late last year. Lau Hong, 16, was a member of a pro-independence student group when he took an air gun with him to a protest rally against the amendment of the LegCo Rules of Procedures last December. He received probation instead of a prison term apparently because he is a minor with no previous run-ins with the law, but it is a potentially dangerous offense nonetheless. That is why no teenager should follow his example for any reason.

It is no secret that a few "outspoken" separatists have advocated independence for Hong Kong by any means possible, including resorting to "armed resistance" against the mainland and even building their own "armed forces" with assistance from certain foreign forces. Some young people who did not know better and were driven by an idealistic passion actually fell for such a scenario and joined the separatist ranks. And Lau is not the first one to pay for his blind faith in an illegal cause with zero chance of success. He probably thought it was no big deal because he was a minor and would not physically harm anyone with an air gun. Now he has plenty of time and reasons to rethink his actions and realize what a huge mistake he has made in risking his own future well-being for something unworthy. It is truly regrettable on Lau's and his parents' part because he was described by the judge and his teachers as a good student.

Lau is no doubt a victim of political deceit and, in a way, inadequate parenting or guidance in general. All Hong Kong youths and their parents and teachers should be warned against making the same mistake when it comes to involvement in politics. It is all adults' responsibility to tell the younger generation separatism can do no good and violence in any shape or form will only ruin the lives of those who resort to it, especially when the motive is criminal in the first place. All parents of teenagers should keep in mind that more than a dozen young protestors who fell for such evil brainwashing by the initiators of "Occupy Central" and broke Hong Kong law because of it have been found guilty and served prison terms since the illegal campaign ended in December 2014.

Just name one decent thing the leading advocates of Hong Kong independence have done for those who served time in prison at their behest. Nothing! Yet none of those instigators has seen the inside of a jail so far. And they will never tell the public why for obvious reasons.

(HK Edition 09/13/2018 page7)