HKong's pro-democracy Teachers’ Union disbands

Hong Kong's pro-democracy Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) on Tuesday said it has disbanded because the “political and social environment" has changed in recent years.

The announcement came after the government severed ties with the union last week and accused it of spreading anti-Beijing and anti-government sentiments.

Earlier, Chinese state media called the union a “malignant tumor” that should be eradicated.

PTU president Fung Wai-wah said "the drastic changes in the political and social environment" in Hong Kong left the union no choice but to disband.

The PTU is the Hong Kong's largest single-industry trade union with 95,000 members.

Last week, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said the PTU had "allowed politics to prevail over education" and "hijacked the whole (education) sector".

Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last year, aiming to crack down on dissent following months of anti-government protests in the city that at times descended into violence.

Over 100 pro-democracy figures have been arrested under the national security law.

Critics have slammed the crackdown on political dissent, saying the former British colony is losing the freedoms it was promised when it was handed over to Chinese control in 1997.