# Tsang Tak-sing > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tsang_Tak-sing > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tsang_Tak-sing.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsang_Tak-sing > Source revision: 1348490064 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Hong Kong politician (born 1949) In this [Chinese name](/source/Chinese_name), the [family name](/source/Chinese_surname) is *Tsang*. Tsang Tak-sing GBS, JP 曾德成 Secretary for Home Affairs In office 1 July 2007 – 21 July 2015 Chief Executive Sir Donald Tsang Leung Chun-ying Chief Secretary Henry Tang Undersecretary Florence Hui Permanent Secretary Raymond Young Political Assistant Casper Tsui Preceded by Patrick Ho Succeeded by Lau Kong-wah Personal details Born 1949 (age 76–77) Canton, China Alma mater St Paul's College University of Hong Kong (MIPA, M.A.) Harvard University (Nieman Fellow) Tsang Tak-sing Traditional Chinese 曾德成 Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zēng Déchéng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jāng Dāk-sìhng Jyutping Cang4 Dak1sing4 **Tsang Tak Sing** [GBS](/source/Gold_Bauhinia_Star) [JP](/source/Justice_of_the_Peace#Hong_Kong) ([Chinese](/source/Chinese_language): 曾德成; born 1949, [Canton](/source/Guangzhou), China) is the former [Secretary for Home Affairs](/source/Secretary_for_Home_Affairs) of Hong Kong. Formerly an adviser to the [Central Policy Unit](/source/Central_Policy_Unit), he assumed office on 1 July 2007, replacing [Patrick Ho](/source/Patrick_Ho). He is the younger brother of [Jasper Tsang](/source/Jasper_Tsang), who was the legislative councillor and former chairman of the [Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong](/source/Democratic_Alliance_for_the_Betterment_of_Hong_Kong). Tsang is regarded as pro-Beijing with a long history of supporting the [Chinese Communist Party](/source/Chinese_Communist_Party). ## 1967 riot participant Tsang is a leftist who participated in the [Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots](/source/Hong_Kong_1967_Leftist_Riots),[1] when he was an Upper Form Six science student at [St Paul's College](/source/St._Paul's_College%2C_Hong_Kong).[2][3] An elite student in a prestigious school, Tsang had no ties with the leftist camp, but he was disgusted by what he considered the colonial government's oppression and viewed current society as decadent. He also branded the instruction at his school as simplistic, with many teachers not meeting the English level required for teaching. He drew up plans with a few classmates to support the leftist movement, and they distributed 375 leaflets in classrooms during lunchtime. However, Tsang, a [school prefect](/source/School_prefect) at that time, was the only participant identified.[4] ## Arrest He was arrested on 28 September 1967 after distributing [anti-government](/source/Sedition) and Communism promotion leaflets, which condemned "the education system aiming at enslavement", "The Colonial Government prohibits us from becoming patriotic, by quelling with fascist forces", around the entrance of his school. He was reported by the [schoolmaster](/source/Schoolmaster) R. G. Wells, arrested, tried and convicted on 9 October for two years for distributing inflammatory leaflets that promoted [public order crime](/source/Public_order_crime),[1][5] thus depriving him of his chance of a university education due to his past [criminal record](/source/Criminal_record).[2] Tsang denied the charge and told the court that what he said in the leaflets was true and did not constitute [sedition](/source/Sedition).[4] Tsang was interviewed by [Andrew Li Kwok-nang](/source/Andrew_Li_Kwok-nang) while serving his term. Li was a student at [Cambridge University](/source/Cambridge_University), working as a summer intern at a magazine while doing a project on the [worldwide student movements](/source/Protests_of_1968).[4] Li was deeply impressed by Tsang, describing him as having "exceptional intellectual qualities" and remarking that he arrived at his conclusions through independent analysis, unlike most Hong Kong students.[3] ## Career A younger brother of [Jasper Tsang](/source/Jasper_Tsang), he joined the *[New Evening Post](/source/New_Evening_Post)* after his release from [Stanley Prison](/source/Stanley_Prison) in 1969. He became chief editor of *[Ta Kung Pao](/source/Ta_Kung_Pao)* in 1988. He has been a Hong Kong deputy to the [National People's Congress](/source/National_People's_Congress) since the same year and was appointed an adviser to the Central Policy Unit in 1998. He obtained from the [University of Hong Kong](/source/University_of_Hong_Kong) two master degrees: Master of International and Public Affairs and Master of Arts in Comparative Literature. He was a [Nieman fellow](/source/Nieman_fellow) at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) from 1994 to 1995.[6] In December 2007 just days after [Anson Chan](/source/Anson_Chan)'s pro-democratic party victory in the [2007 Hong Kong island by-election](/source/2007_Hong_Kong_Island_by-election), he accused her of being a "sudden democrat" who "suddenly cares about people's livelihood".[1] He further commented "Our new legislator today is a former official ... [U]nless she believes that [colonial rule](/source/Colonial_Hong_Kong) was democracy, I don't know whether she has worked for people's livelihood or officials' livelihood."[1] On 30 March 2009 Tsang made a historic visit to [Taipei](/source/Taipei). This is the first visit to the island by a senior Hong Kong official since the [1997 transfer of sovereignty](/source/Transfer_of_sovereignty_over_Hong_Kong).[7] ## Sources - "From jail to cabinet contender", *[South China Morning Post](/source/South_China_Morning_Post)*, 19 June 2007. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sc_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sc_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-sc_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-sc_1-3) ["Chan 'flabbergasted' by attack"](https://www.scmp.com/article/618450/chan-flabbergasted-attack) *South China Morning Post*, Thursday, 6 December 2006 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fu_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fu_2-1) Fu, Hualing; Petersen, Carole; & Young, Simon N.M. *National Security and Fundamental Freedoms: Hong Kong's Article 23 Under Scrutiny* (2005), Hong Kong University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [962-209-732-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/962-209-732-4). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-far_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-far_3-1) Andrew Li Kwok-nang (25 July 1968). "Red Sun Over Stanley". Far Eastern Economic Review. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-scmp_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-scmp_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-scmp_4-2) ["Tsang Tak-sing, the unrepentant youth activist made good"](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1842809/tsang-tak-sing-unrepentant-youth-activist-made-good). South China Morning Post. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** "在課室放煽動性標語 曾德成囚二年". Wah Kiu Yat Po. 10 October 1967. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["New team of Principal Officials appointed (with photos)"](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200706/23/P200706230083.htm). Hong Kong SAR Government. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["HK official sees improved Taiwan ties during rare visit"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110605120030/http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20090330-132031.html). *Asiaone*. Reuters. 30 March 2009. Archived from [the original](http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20090330-132031.html) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2009. ## See also - [Regina Ip](/source/Regina_Ip) - [Jasper Tsang](/source/Jasper_Tsang) - [Yeung Kwong](/source/Yeung_Kwong) Political offices Preceded by Patrick Ho Secretary for Home Affairs 2007–2015 Succeeded by Lau Kong-wah Order of precedence Previous: Frederick Ma Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Hong Kong order of precedence Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Succeeded by Lee Kai-ming Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tsang Tak-sing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsang_Tak-sing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsang_Tak-sing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.