Page:HKSAR v. Tong Ying Kit (Verdict).pdf/35

-35- 101. Professor Lau provided his expert opinion as to the meaning of the words “光復香港 時代革命”, the Chinese characters of the Slogan (“the Chinese Slogan”) at the material time, in particular, the origin and development, both historical and recent.

102. In coming to his expert opinion, Professor Lau had first of all considered the meaning of the compound words (“詞”) “光復”, “時代” and “革命” from a historical perspective.

103. Professor Lau concluded that the words “光復香港” has the meaning of recovering the HKSAR which has fallen into enemy hands, and by extension of that the words mean not admitting the HKSAR as part of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), and viewing the PRC regime as an enemy.

104. In his oral evidence, Professor Lau elaborated that the use of the compound word “光復” in modern Chinese means to restore or take back the regime or national territory that had fallen into the hands of enemy or foreign ethnic group. When “光復” is used, it is spoken from the perspective of a legitimate regime. To raise “光復香港” is to place the person in a legitimate position, and then to decide that the government facing this person is not legitimate, not legal. Therefore, that government must be an enemy or a government controlled by a foreign ethnic group. To put Hong Kong within this phrase means that the situation at the time is that the regime in Hong Kong is controlled by an enemy. According to the person uttering that phrase, the PRC is