Hong Kong security chief defends Olympic champion Vivian Kong, calls critics ‘brainless’

Hong Kong’s security chief has lashed out at “brainless” critics who attacked Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong Man-wai over her pro-government stance, saying they could not bear seeing fellow residents support the authorities.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung defended the épéeist on Thursday after she was attacked by government critics following the leak of her master’s thesis at Renmin University in which she lauded Beijing’s “patriots-only” overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system.

Tang described the épéeist as a government supporter who “condemns violence” and expressed sympathy for her, saying she had been targeted by “villains nitpicking or even attacking” her.

“I remember these people saying those who support the government are brainless, but I want to tell everyone that those who don’t want to see Hong Kong do well are themselves brainless,” Tang told reporters after attending the graduation ceremony of the Correctional Services Department’s Ethics College on Thursday.

The thesis – which Kong has not publicly confirmed is hers – is titled “Occupy Central and Its Effect on Hong Kong Election Reform”. It praised the revamped “patriots-only” electoral system as an important measure to put the city back on the right track after disruptions caused by the 2019 anti-government protests.

The paper also argued that some “anti-China disrupters” had misinterpreted the concept of “one country” in the “one country, two systems” governing principle and exploited the city’s elections to enter the political system, resulting in a possible constitutional crisis.