The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has expelled a student who called for accountability over a deadly fire at an apartment complex in the city. Miles Kwan, a politics student, was terminated from his studies on Thursday following a disciplinary committee decision citing 'multiple acts of misconduct'.
Kwan had been detained by national security police last year on suspicion of 'seditious intent' after distributing flyers demanding an independent investigation into a fire that killed 168 people in November. He was released on bail, and the university subsequently launched a disciplinary review.
According to a letter from CUHK, the committee decided to expel Kwan due to multiple misconduct offences. The university declined to comment on the individual case but noted that students receiving three demerits may face termination. Kwan, 24, said the university did not penalise him for the arrest, but for calling the committee a 'kangaroo panel' and a 'disgrace', and for a 2023 criminal damage charge related to placing stickers on lamp-posts.
Kwan, who had completed his studies and was due to graduate in March, criticised the university's actions. 'It is shameful of CUHK to use graduation certificates to suppress its former students,' he said. 'You can take away qualifications, but you can’t take away dignity.'
The fire, which broke out in the Wang Fuk Court housing estate, was the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980. Kwan was among several people who issued a petition calling for government accountability, an independent investigation into possible corruption, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight. Hong Kong authorities have since formed a judge-led independent committee to investigate the blaze.
