Case of 4 Hong Kong protesters caught after 20 months in hiding: anti-China group members admit to helping them but deny taking their money
- Duo releases two videos, saying they provided more than HK$1 million of their own money to help pay for protesters’ expenses during their 20-month hideout
- They say the four, who were intercepted by police on Wednesday after a tip-off, were betrayed by a middleman and point finger at a man surnamed Chan
Two members of an anti-China social media group wanted by Hong Kong police for their role in helping four protesters escape arrest have admitted they provided financial support but rejected claims they had duped the quartet.
In two videos posted on Friday on Tuesdayroad, an anti-government commentary channel on YouTube with more than 400,000 subscribers, two hosts admitted that they had provided over HK$1 million (US$127,340) to pay for rent and food expenses of the protesters who were in hiding for 20 months in three locations.
But they denied they had taken money from the four under the pretext of helping them to flee the city. The four were intercepted and arrested by police on Wednesday.
They include 21-year-old Tsang Chi-kin, who survived being shot in the chest during a violent protest in Tsuen Wan on October 1, 2019, at the height of the social unrest in Hong Kong. The four protesters tried to seek refuge at the United States consulate in October 2020, but were turned away.
They all faced a range of charges such as rioting and participation in unlawful assemblies. They had missed various legal proceedings and failed to report to police as scheduled since late 2020.
Releasing two videos totalling 33 minutes without showing their faces on Friday, the two hosts referred to a man surnamed Chan as the person behind the suspects’ asylum bids. He was identified as the founder of Friends of Hong Kong, a London-based anti-China group.