Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu | |
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楊岳橋 | |
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| Leader of theCivic Party | |
| In office 1 October 2016 – 28 November 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Leong |
| Member of theLegislative Council | |
| In office 29 February 2016 – 11 November 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Ronny Tong |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | New Territories East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1981-06-05)5 June 1981 (age 44) |
| Citizenship | China (Hong Kong) Canada (until 2012) |
| Political party | Civic Party (2011–2021) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario(BA) Peking University(LL.M.) University of Bristol(MA) |
| Occupation | Barrister, politician |
| Signature |  |
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| Chinese | 楊岳橋 | ||||||||||||
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Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu (Chinese:楊岳橋; born 5 June 1981) is a Hong Kongbarrister and politician. He was formerly the leader of theCivic Party and a member of theLegislative Council of Hong Kong, representingNew Territories East after winning the2016 by-election. On 11 November 2020, Yeung was disqualified from the Legislative Council, along with three other lawmakers of the pan-democratic camp, by the central government in Beijing on request of the Hong Kong government. A mass resignation of pan-democrats the same day left the Legislative Council without a substantial opposition.
Yeung was born inYuen Long, Hong Kong, in 1981 as the only child to a restaurant owner and a jewellery dealer. He and his parents immigrated to Canada in the early 1990s after the 1989Tiananmen massacre.[1] Yeung graduated from theUniversity of Western Ontario with a degree inpolitical science and obtained amaster of laws in constitutional and administrative laws fromPeking University around 2003.[1]
Inspired by the major2003 July 1 march, Yeung joined a group called "7.1 People Pile". He campaigned forAlan Leong Kah-kit, a barrister-turned-politician, in the2004 Legislative Council election. From the following year, he studied for a Master of Arts in legal studies at theUniversity of Bristol and became a certified barrister in 2008.[1]
He joined theCivic Party in 2011 and ran in the2011 District Council election inTai Po Market but was defeated. He was later elected to theElection Committee through the legal subsector in the2011 Hong Kong Election Committee Subsector election. In2012 Legislative Council election, he partnered withRonny Tong to run in theNew Territories East and successfully got Tong re-elected. He gave up his Canadian citizenship to compete in the election.[2]
Yeung is currently chairman of the New Territories East branch of the party and member of the Appeal Panel (Housing),[3] and also co-host of the political talk-show "Teacup in a Storm" onD100 radio station.[1]
He was recommended by Ronny Tong when Tong resigned from the Legislative Council in June 2015 to take up the seat in theFebruary by-election. He retained the seat for the Civic Party by defeatingBeijing-loyalistDAB candidateHolden Chow Ho-ding andlocalist campHong Kong Indigenous candidateEdward Leung Tin-kei, receiving 160,880 votes in theNew Territories East constituency.[4]
In theSeptember 2016 general election, Yeung sought re-election in New Territories East. From his leading position in opinion polls, he cooperated withLabour Party'sFernando Cheung and later on with other pan-democrat candidates to split the votes evenly to maximise the block's chances of winning seven out of the nine seats. He was re-elected with 52,416 votes, along with six other anti-establishment candidates. Following the election, he succeeded Alan Leong as party leader, in an acting capacity from 1 October and formally, through a party election, in November.
Five weeks ahead of the (subsequently postponed)2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council Election, on 30 July 2020, as Yeung prepared to defend his seat, the government stated that he was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid', under an opaque process in which, nominally, civil servants –returning officers – assess whether, for instance, a candidate had objected to the enactment of thenational security law, or was sincere in statements made disavowing separatism.[5] On 11 November 2020, following a decision of theStanding Committee of the National People's Congress he was disqualified from Legislative Council along with three other lawmakers; this resulted in the resignation of a further 15 pro-democracy lawmakers.[6]
On 6 January 2021, Yeung was among 53 members of the pro-democratic camp who werearrested under thenational security law, specifically its provision regarding alleged subversion. The group stood accused of the organisation of and participation inunofficial primary elections held by the camp in July 2020.[7] Yeung was released on bail on 7 January.[8]
On 28 February 2021, Yeung was among 47 members of the pro-democratic camp who were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law. He was denied bail and instead remain in detention before trial on 1 March.On the third day on 3 March, Alvin Yeung announced his resignations from the Civic party. Alvin Yeung said before addressing the court: "As a barrister, I would never have imagined that I would have to address the court in the docks. On March 2 five years ago, I was sworn in as a legislative councillor, fighting for Hongkongers, but five years later, I am fighting for my own freedom." Chief Magistrate Victor So adjourned the third day proceedings at 8:30 p.m. During the bail hearings, Yeung resigned from the Civic Party and later announced his decision to leave politics, also penning an open letter together withKwok Ka-ki,Jeremy Tam and Lee Yue-shun, publicized on 15 April, which called for the party to disband.[9]
Yeung pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years and 1 month in prison on 19 November 2024.[10][11]
| Legislative Council of Hong Kong | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Legislative Council Representative forNew Territories East 2016–2020 | Constituency abolished |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader ofCivic Party 2016–2020 | Vacant |
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