Job matching agency supporting Hong Kong protesters struggles to get incorporated
An agency which matches job-seeking protesters with employers who support the protests said their application for incorporation had been held up because of their political stance.
The group, known as The Coming Dawn HK, received a letter from the Companies Registry on Friday. The letter demanded that they explain the meaning of certain words and phrases such as "revolution", "yellow economic circle" and "hands and feet" that they had used in a previous media report.
Since the Umbrella Movement in 2014 the colour yellow has been used to refer to people and businesses in support of pro-democracy protesters. This is in contrast with the politically “blue” camp — those supporting the government.
Since the anti-extradition bill protests started last year, there has been an initiative in Hong Kong for people to frequent “yellow” shops to declare their support for the movement. "Hands and feet" is a Cantonese phrase referring to comrades. It is commonly used among protesters as a show of unity.
"Do I need to get the Communist Party's approval now just to conduct a business legally in Hong Kong?" asked a spokesman for the group in an interview with the Apple Daily.
The group has been given 14 days to respond to the Companies Registry's enquiries, he said. He added that the approach was reminiscent of how the government disqualified certain opposition candidates from running for office in the legislature and district council the past few years.
An application for incorporation was filed with the Companies Registry in late March, with all the documents required, the spokesman said. There was no news for two months before they received the letter, he said.
Company registration usually takes no more than two weeks to complete, and in some cases within the same day of application if done online.
In response to the Apple Daily's enquiry, the Companies Registry said it would not comment on individual cases, but added that all registrations were handled in accordance with the Companies Ordinance.
Meanwhile, the group's spokesman said they had given up hope of their registration being approved. They might consider filing another application under a different company name later on, he added.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on mobile app. To know more : https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE