Doubt cast on PLA soldier's credibility as barracks trespass case witness

A People's Liberation Army soldier had doubt cast on his credibility as he gave evidence in the case of an activist accused of trespassing in the PLA barracks.

In what is thought to be the first case of a serving PLA soldier giving evidence in a Hong Kong court, Song Heng was asked by the defence why he signed a copy of his statement, transcribed by police, when it contained a factual error.

Song was appearing at Eastern Court for the prosecution in the case of Billy Chiu Hin-chung, 29, who denies a charge of entering a closed area - the barracks in Central - without a permit. Three other defendants pleaded guilty to the same charge and will be sentenced at the end of Chiu's trial over the Boxing Day protest.

Clad in a business suit, Song faced questions about why he signed a statement which contained an inaccuracy; he told police taking the statement a vehicle had been leaving the barracks when the gates opened, allowing the activists in. Police wrote that the vehicle was entering.

"As a soldier, don't you think it is important to make sure everything written is correct before adding your signature?" asked Jasper Kwan Hang-fan, for Chiu.

Replying in Putonghua, Song agreed that it was "very important", but said he had been unable to read the statement because it was written in traditional Chinese characters, which he was unfamiliar with, rather than the simplified Chinese used on the mainland.