Andy Chui Chi-kin was an elected member of the Eastern District Council from 2015 to 2021 and was one of the co-founders of Umbrella Parents (傘下爸媽), a group formed after the 2014 Umbrella Movement by parents to stand with young protesters.

Chui was a businessman and trader by occupation. His political journey began in 2014 during the Umbrella Movement, where he spent the entirety of the 79-day sit-in occupying the main roads in Hong Kong. He found the movement a wake-up call to start paying more attention to politics. [1] He began volunteering with newly established social groups such as the Hong Kong Group of Democracy Promotion (香港民主宣傳小組) and Umbrella Parents (傘下爸媽). [2] These efforts laid the foundation for his role as an Eastern district councillor, representing Yue Wan (漁灣) from 2016 to 2021. [3]

In 2015, without any political experience or support from any political party, Chui won a landmark victory in the Eastern District Council election, defeating six-time pro-Beijing District Councilor and Lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun (鍾樹根). [4] After serving four years as a councilor, Chui founded Chai Wan Startup (柴灣起動), an initiative aimed at helping pan-democrats secure a majority in the Chai Wan and Siu Sai Wan Districts in the 2019 District Council Elections. [5] The group achieved remarkable success, winning all 12 seats it contested and cementing its influence in local governance. [6]

In July 2020, Chui participated in the pro-democracy primary election, garnering 7,974 votes and placing fifth in the Hong Kong Island constituency, which was insufficient to secure a nomination. [7] On Jan. 6, 2021, he was arrested alongside 54 other activists for allegedly violating the National Security Law due to his involvement in the pro-democracy primary election. [8] Released on bail the following day, he was detained again on Feb. 28, 2021, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law. He was denied bail and has been in custody since then. [9]

On May 10, 2021, while in detention, Chui resigned from his position as district councilor, citing his inability to fulfill the responsibilities of the role. [10] Later that year, on Oct. 16, 2021, he was sentenced to six months in prison for organizing an unauthorized assembly on July 1, 2020, to protest against the National Security Law. [11]

Chui pleaded guilty to the charge. On Nov. 19, 2024, the court ruled him as one of the active participants in the primary election. Despite health issues including bone spurs, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, and eczema, the judges did not provide any sentence deduction. [12] He was ultimately sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison. [13]

Photo credit: Andy Chui's Facebook