A Hong Kong man has been convicted of rioting and conspiring to wound with intent, after a court ruled that he had armed himself with a stick during the Yuen Long mob attacks in 2019.
Tang Ka-man (in red frame) appears in a video captured by BBC News Chinese about the mob attacks in Yuen Long in July 2019. Photo: BBC News Chinese YouTube screenshot.
Tang Ka-man, 46, was remanded in custody on Tuesday pending sentencing, after he was found guilty of two charges linked to the indiscriminate attacks in Yuen Long during the 2019 extradition bill unrest.
On July 21, 2019, over 100 rod-wielding men who largely wore white tops stormed Yuen Long MTR station leaving 45 people injured – including journalists, protesters, commuters and pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting. Police were criticised for responding slowly to the incident, with some officers seen leaving the scene or interacting with the white-clad men. The official account of the incident evolved over a year, with the authorities eventually claiming it was a “gang fight.”
Tang was said to be involved in a riot at Long Wo Road and Yuen Long MTR station at around midnight on July 22 as clashes broke out between two groups of people who mainly wore black or white tops. Those wearing white tops were armed with wooden pole and rattan sticks, while most of the black-clad individuals held umbrellas while wearing caps and facemasks.
Deputy District Judge Amy Chan ruled on Tuesday that Tang, who was wearing white, had thrown a construction site lamp and a wooden stick, as well as pointed a rattan stick towards those wearing black. His presence was “more than encouragement” to the riot participants, she said.
“I find that he had taken part in the riot. He was one of the principal [offenders] and provided encouragement by action,” Chan wrote in her 25-page judgement.
The judge said her ruling was based on a comparison of photos of Tang with CCTV footage and other videos of the incident. One photo was taken at the Immigration Department on July 5, 2019 when Tang applied for his identity card. Another one was shot at the police station after Tang was arrested in September 2021, more than two years after the attacks occurred.
Tang’s appearance was identical to that of the man in the video clips, the judge said. Chan said she was also certain that the man who appeared in the different footage was the same person, because his t-shirt had a “distinctive” pattern with a Levi’s logo and his shoulder bag strap had the letters “VLTN” on it.
“I find that [Tang] deliberately changed his hairstyle and wore glasses in the court hearing to make him look different from the footages and the photos,” Chan’s judgement read.
In convicting Tang of conspiring to wound with intent, Chan said Tang was wearing a white t-shirt and had a rattan stick in his hand. He was among the white-tops and party to the agreement to wound, she said.
Tang Ka-man (in red frame) appears in a video captured by BBC News Chinese about the mob attacks in Yuen Long in July 2019. Photo: BBC News Chinese YouTube screenshot.
The rattan sticks were “hard and rigid,” with one end being wrapped with thin white rattan strips as a handle, the judge described. Given the number of white-clad individuals holding rattan sticks during the riot, as well as the nature of the sticks, they must have been brought to the crime scene deliberately, Chan said.
“There must be prior planning,” the court ruled.
There was no evidence that Tang had caused any injury to others. But the judge said he acted as an “accessory” and encouraged the white-clad individuals to commit the intended offence to wound by arming himself with a rattan stick and taking part in the riot.
“Conspiracy to wound is an inchoate offence. It is unimportant whether [he]… actually inflict[ed] grievous bodily harm on others,” the judgement read.
The case was adjourned to December 23 for sentencing.
Protesters gather at Yuen Long MTR station on July 27, 2019, one week after the Yuen Long Mob Attack. File Photo: Holmes Chan/HKFP.
Rioting is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The jail sentences meted out by the District Court, however, are capped at seven years.
Tang became the ninth white-shirt man convicted in connection with the attacks in Yuen Long. Previous convicts were jailed between three and a half to seven years. The city’s prosecutors also pressed rioting charges against eight men who were not wearing white tops on the day, including then-lawmaker Lam.
