Hong Kong district councillors must take oath despite exodus

Carrie Lam said authorities will press ahead with the oath-taking requirement for district councillors to pledge allegiance to Hong Kong, despite an exodus over the last week (Vincent Yu/AP)

Hong Kong’s leader has said elected district councillors will still need to take an oath of allegiance despite the resignation of dozens who are refusing to do so.

Some 170 district councillors, most of them supporters of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s beleaguered pro-democracy movement, have resigned in the past week rather than make the pledge following media reports that they may have to repay their wages if they are later disqualified from office.