Philip Wong Explained

Philip Wong Yu-hong
Native Name Lang:zh-hk
Honorific-Suffix:GBS
Office:Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Term Start1:9 October 1991
Term End1:30 June 1997
Predecessor1:New constituency
Successor1:Replaced by Provisional Legislative Council
Constituency1:Commercial (Second)
Term Start2:21 December 1996
Term End2:30 June 1998
(Provisional Legislative Council)
Term Start3:1 July 1998
Term End3:30 September 2012
Constituency3:Commercial (Second)
Predecessor3:New parliament
Successor3:Martin Liao
Birth Date:23 December 1938
Birth Place:Quanzhou, Fujian, China
Death Place:United States
Occupation:Businessman
Parents:Wong Ker-lee (father)
Spouse:Josephine Tan
Anita Maria Leung Fung-yee
Children:Ian Joseph Wong
Kirk Landon Wong
Mark Nathan Wong

Philip Wong Yu-hong, GBS (; 23 December 1938  - 6 June 2021)[1] was a politician in Hong Kong who served as a member of the legislative council (Functional constituencies, Commercial [Second]), a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice-chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He was also a recipient of the Gold Bauhinia Star award.

Criticism

Academic credentials

On the Legislative council website, Wong was listed to have an M.Sc. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a Ph.D. degree in engineering from the California Coast University, and a J.D. degree from Southland University.[2]

Share market analyst and Hong Kong activist, David Webb, requested an investigation be launched to check for his possible improper academic credentials. Nothing has come from Webb's request.

The University of California credentials passed muster as well as California Coast University's. California Coast University's bulletin states that it "does not require formal, on-campus residence or classroom attendance" because it is an online-only school accredited by the DEAC. Wong did receive the engineering degree from California Coast University on 27 August 1984, nearly 21 years before the CCU was accredited by the DEAC in January, 2005 (and the PhD programs were dropped as a condition of the school's accreditation); however, California Coast University had full state approval of all academic programs from the State of California which made the degrees legal and academically legitimate nearly everywhere in the world. Southland University is no longer in existence.

Middle finger incident

During the July 2003 Article 23 march, Wong was filmed to be giving demonstrators the middle finger gesture.[3] Hong Kong Canadian politician Albert Cheng asked in a meeting in October 2004 whether his middle finger gesture has been referred to a committee for consideration. Jasper Tsang, a colleague of Wong, replied that Wong had already apologised the previous day.[4]

Death

On 6 June 2021, Wong died at the age of 82 after a six-month battle with brain cancer in a hospital in the United States.[5] [6] A memorial was held at AL Moore-Grimshaw Mortuaries Bethany Chapel in Phoenix, Arizona.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 澳門城市大學 - 商學院 .
  2. Web site: Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Register of Members' Interests. 2021-06-20. www.legco.gov.hk.
  3. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/GD20Ak01.html The Standard article "Legislator escapes probes"
  4. http://legco.hk/yr04-05/english/hc/minutes/hc041015.pdf LegCo minutes re middle finger controversy
  5. Web site: 2021-06-09. Ex-lawmaker Philip Wong, who stirred controversy amid 2003 security law battle, dies at 82. 2021-06-20. South China Morning Post. en.
  6. Web site: Former lawmaker Philip Wong, 82, dies of cancer . The Standard . 9 June 2021 . 9 June 2021.