Hong Kong protests: ex-salesman who attempted boat escape to Taiwan pleads guilty to possessing 22 incomplete petrol bombs

District Court convicts Tang Kai-yin of possessing articles with intent to damage property, after mainland China authorities caught him during escape bid to Taiwan in 2020

Tang, 34, worked alongside more than 10 accomplices to produce Molotov cocktails at an Airbnb flat ahead of rally in 2019, prosecution says

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Tang Kai-yin heading to court last August. Prosecutors on Monday agreed to drop the charge of conspiracy to commit arson after he pleaded guilty to possessing illegal items. Photo: Elson Li

Published: 2:48pm, 22 Jan 2024Updated: 4:55pm, 22 Jan 2024

A former salesman previously jailed in mainland China for organising a thwarted escape bid to Taiwan by him and 11 other Hongkongers has pleaded guilty to possessing 22 incomplete petrol bombs and other dangerous materials amid the 2019 social unrest.

The District Court convicted Tang Kai-yin on Monday after he admitted to a count of possessing articles with intent to damage or destroy property. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue a more serious charge of conspiracy to commit arson after the 34-year-old made a plea bargain.

Tang, who reportedly worked as a Lego salesman in 2019, was the last of the 12 to be released by mainland authorities after they were intercepted travelling by boat to Taiwan on August 23, 2020.

Tang Kai-yin was among 12 Hongkongers arrested and tried by mainland authorities in 2020 for a foiled escape attempt to Taiwan. Photo: AFP

A Shenzhen court earlier sentenced him to three years in jail for his role in organising the illegal border crossing. He was handed over to Hong Kong police last summer.

Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung on Monday adjourned sentencing until Friday and extended the defendant’s remand in custody.

Lin will also hear a separate case on Wednesday, in which Tang is accused of perverting the course of justice by organising the escape attempt.

A prosecution summary of the firebomb case showed Tang had an agreement with more than 10 accomplices to produce “wine” and “fire magic” – both euphemisms for Molotov cocktails – in an Airbnb flat in Wan Chai they called a “safe house” before demonstrations on October 1, 2019.

Four of the accomplices – fashion designer Cheng Chun, waiter Li Wai-lung, MTR Corporation trainee Cheng Tsz-ho and student Liu Tsz-man – were already convicted and jailed for their roles in the conspiracy.