Hong Kong protests: man, 64, found guilty of rioting and wounding in Yuen Long attack
- Ching Wai-ming, an HKID holder living in neighbouring Shenzhen, accused of being among group of nearly 100 that stormed MTR station on the night of July 21
- About 100 attackers in white shirts beat up protesters and regular commuters in divisive incident at height of 2019 unrest
A 64-year-old man with past triad connections was found guilty of rioting and wounding on Wednesday for his role in an indiscriminate attack on demonstrators and train passengers in one of the most divisive chapters of the 2019 anti-government protests.
A deputy judge at West Kowloon Court convicted Ching Wai-ming based on prosecutors’ identification of him among a white-clad group of men wielding iron poles and rattan sticks at Yuen Long MTR station between July 21 and 22, that year.
The judge also dismissed the defence’s notion that the violence was an act of self-preservation, citing a lack of evidence that the victims had gone to the northwestern town to cause a disturbance.
About 100 attackers stormed the station that night and injured at least 45 people, claiming the move was to protect their homes while some black-shirted protesters were making their way back from a mass demonstration on Hong Kong Island against a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
A Hong Kong identity card holder living in neighbouring Shenzhen, Ching was seen in a white top and assembling with other assailants near the station that evening, just four hours after crossing the border via the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint.
He then stormed the premises at around 11pm, assaulting at least three people with his fists and a rattan stick within three minutes.
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Attack victim at Hong Kong’s Yuen Long MTR station recalls horrific ordeal
The accused then instructed his comrades to proceed to the station’s platform to go after commuters inside a stranded train, before leaving the premises alongside other white-clad men at around 11.14pm.
