Localist group Hong Kong Indigenous spokesperson Ray Wong Toi-yeung is being allowed to leave Hong Kong to attend an event at the Dalai Lama’s residence in India next month, after the court altered the conditions of his bail. He was charged with rioting following the unrest in Mong Kok over Chinese New Year.
Wong was brought before Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, after applying for an amendment to his bail conditions. He said that he was invited by a US organisation, Initiatives for China, to attend the 11th InterEthnic/InterFaith Leadership Conference to be held at Dalai Lama’s India residence.
The court allowed him to leave Hong Kong for ten days from April 26 to May 5, with a HK$50,000 bail payable. The 12-6am curfew in Hong Kong is to be upheld, and the court date for the rioting charge will be pushed back to May 5.
Around 30 people protested outside the court, asking it to punish rioters strictly and put them in jail. One protester shouted, “dissolve the court.” His loudspeaker was immediately taken away by his companion, reported Apple Daily.
The 11th InterEthnic/InterFaith Leadership Conference is attended by thousands of young leaders, including those from Tibet, Xinjiang (China), Cuba, and Iran. Its 10th conference, held in Washington DC in the US, was attended by the former Secretary-General of Hong Kong Federation of Students Alex Chow Yong-Kang.
Wong was arrested on February 21 for his participation in the Mong Kok unrest.
Hong Kong Indigenous is a localist group founded after the Occupy protests in 2014, known for their anti-communist stance and close association with movements promoting the expansion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and independence.
‘Colluding with Tibet separatists’
On Wednesday, Wenweipo, a Chinese media mouthpiece in Hong Kong, led with a headline: “Wong Toi-yeung colluding with Tibet separatists to seek Hong Kong independence.”
“Wong Toi-yeung… not only advocates Hong Kong independence, but also seemingly colludes with Tibetan separatist forces,” said the Wenweipo article, after Wong revealed that he is attending a conference held in Dalai Lama’s residence in India.
“The InterEthnic/InterFaith Leadership Conference was held by organisations hostile to the central government and country. It was previously attended by Xinjiang separatists, Tibet separatists, Falungong members and so-called ‘human rights activists’,” the article said.
Wong was quoted saying that “Hong Kong was colonised by China” and that he hoped to meet “real separatists”.
