Hong Kong man charged for ‘publicly mutilating’ Chinese national flag in Sha Tin – third protester to face flag-defiling charges
- Law Man-chung, 21, was brought to Sha Tin Court with three others to face charges over the clashes in Sha Tin on Sunday
- Law accused of ‘publicly and wilfully mutilating, scrawling on, defiling and trampling’ the Chinese flag
A Hong Kong delivery man was charged on Tuesday with desecrating the Chinese flag, the third protester taken to court for flag-related offences since the city’s protest crisis started in June.
Law Man-chung, 21, was brought to Sha Tin Court with three others to face charges over the clashes in Sha Tin on Sunday, when hundreds of demonstrators started a “singing protest” at a local shopping centre.
Law was officially charged with one count of desecrating the national flag. He was accused of “publicly and wilfully mutilating, scrawling on, defiling and trampling” the flag in the vicinity of New Town Plaza and Sha Tin Town Hall.
Prosecutors said they were ready to take the defendant’s plea, but Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung adjourned the case to October 15 so Law could seek legal advice.
Ko granted Law, a transport worker, a HK$10,000 (US$1,275) cash bail, but ordered him to obey a curfew from 10pm to 6am, stay 100 metres (328ft) clear of New Town Plaza and report to the police three times each week.
Another protester accused of committing a flag-related offence was Wong Cheuk-lai, 22, a solar panel technician charged with conspiring to desecrate the flag at Tung Chung Swimming Pool on September 1.
The third case involved Tang Chi-lok, a 21-year-old waiter, who was accused of defiling the flag outside Tuen Mun Town Hall on Saturday.
Both Wong and Tang appeared in court earlier and posted bail.
Police revealed in Monday’s press conference that they are investigating nine cases involving defiling the flag.
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Arrests were made in five of them, including the case of a 13-year-old girl who will face the court for the first time on Friday.
Separately, saleslady Chan Lok-yi, 24, engineer Chau Kam-wai, 23, and property agent Edmund Wong Yat-lam, 43, were charged with taking part in a riot outside Lucky Plaza on Sunday.
Chau faced two extra charges, possession of offensive weapons in a public place and obstructing a police officer.
He allegedly had in his possession a hammer, a pair of pliers and a screwdriver without a reasonable excuse, and allegedly obstructed senior inspector Lam Pui-mo in the execution of his duty.
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Prosecutors asked that no pleas be taken from the three, so police could make further enquiries.
The defendants, who were allowed to remain free on HK$10,000 cash bail, were ordered to return to court on November 26. They were each told to obey a curfew, report to the police three times a week and not to enter Lucky Plaza.
