Ex-lawmaker charged with rioting tells Hong Kong court he only went to scene of mob attack in 2019 as he feared ‘something bad might happen’
- Former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting tells District Court he had a bad feeling mass attack would break out at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21, 2019
- Lam says he was worried residents would be hurt by men armed with rods
A former Hong Kong opposition lawmaker charged with rioting at a railway station during the 2019 protests told a court on Tuesday he went to the scene out of concern after receiving many messages about a planned attack there by gangsters.
Former lawmaker and district councillor Lam Cheuk-ting, 46, took the stand at the District Court to defend his presence at Yuen Long MTR station on the evening of July 21, 2019, saying he went there largely because he had a bad feeling a mass attack would break out and residents would be hurt by a group of men armed with rods.
“I received messages warning that a group of pro-government people had been summoned and gathered in Yuen Long for a plot, with pictures showing bundles of bamboo sticks and white-shirted men assembled in one place,” he told the court.
“I was quite worried at the time that something bad might happen.”
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Lam said he had called then Yuen Long District Council chairman Zachary Wong Wai-yin and checked if he had any information about an attack before deciding to leave Wan Chai, where he had joined a lawful anti-government protest in the afternoon.
He said he had been told someone had “written a script” for a plot, which was to engage a gang of white-shirted men to beat anyone dressed in black – the colour favoured by anti-government protesters – and act provocatively in Yuen Long.
Lam said he did not immediately make up his mind to go to Yuen Long as he was more concerned that protesters gathering in Central and Western district would escalate their action and regroup at the central government’s liaison office in Sai Wan.
But Lam said he kept receiving messages about the imminent gangster attack from 7pm, resulting in him diverting to Mei Foo, where he was standing by in the MTR station in case anything happened in Yuen Long.
“I just did not feel right about going home after thinking about it over and over, as I had a gut feeling something was bound to happen in Yuen Long that night,” he said.
Evidence presented in court showed Lam posted a warning on his Facebook page at 9.38pm and alerted those going home to Yuen Long by MTR to be careful and to watch out for each other.
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He told the court all he was concerned about was the safety of passengers and those who had attended the lawful assembly that day.
“I was trying to put a wake-up call out there,” he said.
After his Facebook post circulated online, he received a photo of a man’s lacerated back, with a Yuen Long street view in the background.
The trial judge, Stanley Chan Kwong-chi, earlier ruled Lam had a case to answer after he found the prosecution had provided sufficient evidence to accuse Lam of instigating the alleged mob violence.
The other six defendants standing trial have indicated they intend to take the stand.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.
