Hong Kong Indigenous convenor Ray Wong allowed to travel to India for human rights conference after bail conditions changed
Wong plans to ‘talk about Hong Kong’s human rights situation’ at conference attended by Dalai Lama
Activist Ray Wong Toi-yeung, convenor of the radical localist group accused of instigating the Mong Kok riot, is set to talk about Hong Kong’s human rights situation at a conference at the Dalai Lama’s residence in India next month.
This became possible after Kowloon City Court approved his application to change his bail conditions, allowing him to leave the city from April 26 to May 5 before he makes another court appearance on May 10.
Prosecutor Ned Lai Ka-yee, who asked for the adjournment pending further police investigations and legal advice from the Department of Justice, was neutral about the application.
But Wong, a leader of Hong Kong Indigenous and a freelance interior decorator, will have to pay additional cash bail of HK$50,000 and surrender his travel documents to the court within 24 hours of his return.
The 22-year-old was released on cash bail of HK$100,000 and a cash surety of HK$100,000 from his mother after he was charged with one count of rioting last month.
It was alleged that he took part in a riot with otherson February 8 and 9 in Mong Kok.
No plea was taken before principal magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen on Tuesday.
The magistrate twice read out the list of Wong’s bail conditions, which also included a curfew from midnight to 6am, reporting to Tseung Kwan O police station three times a week and notifying the same station 24 hours ahead of any change of address.
Wong was also reminded to stay away from restricted areas in Mong Kok, except in transit.
“I understand,” he said through an interpreter at the English hearing.
Defence lawyer Andrew Powner said outside court that Wong was to attend the 11th Interethnic, Interfaith Leadership Conference at the Dalai Lama’s residence.
Wong himself revealed he was a Tibetan Buddhist but said he would not talk about religion during the conference at Dharamshala.
“[I] will talk about Hong Kong’s human rights situation and the condition of various freedoms to civic groups from other countries and ethnicities,” he told reporters before leaving in a taxi.
The event’s organiser, Initiatives for China, is “a movement dedicated to advancing a peaceful transition to democracy in China by empowering the Chinese people to exercise their citizen rights”, according to its Facebook page.
