Hong Kong Indigenous leader Ray Wong Toi-yeung has been charged at Kowloon City Magistrates Court with rioting. His bail was granted for $100,000, and an additional HK$100,000 guarantee from his mother.
He is also subject to a curfew from 12am to 6am, and is prohibited from leaving Hong Kong or stepping foot in Mong Kok.
Wong was brought before court on Tuesday afternoon in a police van. His appearance led to chaotic scenes as reporters rushed to photograph him, Ming Pao reported.
According to the Public Order Ordinance, Wong could face up to 10 years imprisonment.
Wong fell off the radar after leaving a “final message” on Facebook following the Mong Kok unrest which broke out earlier this month over the government’s clearing of street hawkers. Wong was arrested in Tin Shui Wai on Sunday for his participation in the clashes.
Radical activist #RayWong @hkindigenous arrives #KowloonCity court, bail unlikely as he’s considered a flight risk. pic.twitter.com/GH7guPp7PH
— Roland Lim (@RolandLimCNA) February 23, 2016
The police found HK$530,000 in cash at the Tin Shui Wai flat where he was staying, along with some chemicals, batons, “V for Vendetta” masks, Viagra pills, and battery-operated “guns”, which may have been toys.
Hong Kong Indigenous is a localist group founded after the Occupy protests in 2014. They say they want to break away from old resistance methods and uphold indigenous Hong Kong values. While localist groups support democracy, they are better known for their anti-communist stance and close association with movements promoting the expansion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and independence.
