Hong Kong protests: pair bailed after overnight dispute outside residential estate office
- Men live at Richland Gardens in Ngau Tau Kok where angry crowd had confronted staff over changes to access codes
- Residents also said people wearing black had been stopped from getting back to their homes after civil unrest in Kwun Tong
Two men charged with hitting a police vehicle in a dispute over access to their flats during the protests in Hong Kong this weekend were ordered on Monday to stay away from the management office of their building, and obey a curfew by a court.
Lam Chi-hing, 35, a social service sector worker, and Ling Shing-chung, 26, a part-time employee at Hongkong Post, both live at Richland Gardens in Ngau Tau Kok, a residential neighbourhood in east Kowloon.
The pair appeared at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where they were each charged with one count of behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place.
Acting Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei adjourned the case until October 21.
Prosecutor William Wong Wa-fun said the justice department would also consider placing additional charges against the pair before the next hearing.
Lam and Ling were each granted HK$4,000 (US$510) cash bail, but ordered to stay at least 10 metres away from the office, not to contact security staff and to remain at their respective flats between 11pm and 6am.
The incident was triggered by a sudden change of entrance codes at the estate on Saturday. Some residents said they could not enter their buildings because they did not have a residential card or entrance key.
People surrounded the management office in Richland Gardens accusing staff of preventing residents wearing black from returning to their homes.
Police then intervened and used pepper spray to disperse a crowd.