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Hong Kong duo admit joining pro-independence group ‘out of curiosity’, asylum bid
Chan Tai-sum, 27, and Ng Chi-tung, 25, plead guilty to secession conspiracy over Taiwan-based Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union roles
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Two Hong Kong men convicted of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law have said they joined a pro-independence group either to obtain asylum in Canada or “out of curiosity”.
Courier Chan Tai-sum, 27, and waiter Ng Chi-tung, 25, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession for their involvement with Taiwan-based Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union between November 2024 and July last year.
Defence lawyers said the pair were both diagnosed with autism and influenced by the disorder when they committed the offence. Chan, who was jailed for a year in 2022 for sedition and incitement, felt ostracised by society after his last release from prison and was unable to turn the page, the court heard.
Founded by fugitive activist Alan Keung Ka-wai, the union advocates Hong Kong’s “liberation” from mainland Chinese rule, seeks international recognition for a self-proclaimed “Hong Kong Parliament” and supports the establishment of an army to “restore and defend” the city.
Some of the party’s members were sworn in as so-called members of parliament after an election last year, with Keung serving as the pseudo-legislature’s chairman.
Authorities have banned the operation of the union and the Canada-based “parliament” in Hong Kong by invoking the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the domestic version of the national security law.
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