Hong Kong protests: ex-salesman who attempted boat escape to Taiwan with 11 others pleads guilty to perverting course of justice

Tang Kai-yin, now 34, was released by mainland Chinese authorities after he admitted in Shenzhen court to organising illegal border crossing

Judge Ernest Lin questioned whether the accused, who steered speedboat, had pressed ahead with trip despite risks

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Tang Kai-yin, who is facing charges related to his role in a boat escape attempt, being taken to the District Court last year. Photo: SCMP

Published: 2:22pm, 14 Feb 2024Updated: 4:09pm, 14 Feb 2024

A former salesman has pleaded guilty in Hong Kong to perverting the course of justice by organising a thwarted boat escape to Taiwan involving himself and 11 others facing charges arising from the 2019 anti-government protests.

The District Court on Wednesday recorded a guilty plea from Tang Kai-yin, who had already served three years behind bars in neighbouring Shenzhen for his role in the escape attempt on August 23, 2020.

Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung questioned whether the accused, who steered the speedboat carrying the 12, had pressed ahead with the trip despite the risks involved.

He said the vessel might not have been able to make its way to the self-ruling island even if mainland Chinese authorities had not intervened.

“This boat was bound for Tainan [in southern Taiwan] … It didn’t need to pass the Taiwan Strait, but still the wind would have been strong. This boat was not fit for an expedition,” Lin said.

Tang, now 34, was the last of the 12 to be released by mainland authorities after he admitted in a Shenzhen court to organising the illegal border crossing.