Hong Kong protests: arrest sought of two men who fail to appear in court over riot charges
- Wong Mau-chun and Lung Yan-wa are among six defendants accused of crimes committed during a stand-off with police on August 31
- Charges they face include rioting, assault, vandalism and robbery
A Hong Kong court has ordered the arrest of two men who failed to appear in the dock on Friday to answer rioting charges stemming from clashes between anti-government protesters and police officers at two of the busiest rail interchanges in the city last year.
Kowloon City Court issued warrants for the arrest of photographer Wong Mau-chun, 29, and student Lung Yan-wa, 20, after prosecutors laid nine counts against the duo and four other students over incidents at the stations and near them on the night of August 31.
Prosecutors said they would proceed with the cases against the remaining four – Kan Tsz-pan, 21, Lin Chun-hung, 19, Cheuk Ka-ho, 24, and Wan Ka-lam, 20 – at District Court.
Principal Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee adjourned the case to September 16 to allow time for the prosecution to prepare documents for the transfer of the hearing. The four were granted bail between HK$3,000 (US$386) and HK$5,000.
Five of the six defendants – including Wong, Lung, Lin, Cheuk and Wan – are jointly charged with rioting inside the paid area of Prince Edward MTR station. They also face two joint counts of assault for allegedly injuring two men, identified as X and Y in court documents, at the same location.
