Two jailed for clash that led to Hong Kong protest death

It was one of the only fatalities linked to turmoil in 2019 and his case remains a source of outrage for government supporters.

Luo Chang-qing, 70, lying on the street after receiving a blow to the head on November 13, 2019. Picture: Internet.

A Hong Kong court on Friday jailed two young men in relation to a violent clash during the city’s political unrest in 2019 that killed an elderly man.

Luo Chang-qing, a 70-year-old cleaner, died from a blow to the head during a border town confrontation where democracy protesters and government loyalists hurled bricks at each other.

Luo was one of a few fatalities directly linked to Hong Kong’s political turmoil in 2019 and his case remains a source of outrage for government supporters.

Kelvin Lau, 19, and Chan Yin-ting, 18, were each sentenced on Friday to 5½ years in jail for rioting. The duo faced additional manslaughter and wounding charges but a jury in July cleared them of responsibility in Luo’s death.

Judge Esther Toh said on Friday the defendants – who were under-age at the time of the crime – were among a group that instigated the violence that escalated into a “very serious riot”.

“Things devolved into mayhem, which led to very tragic consequences,” Judge Toh said.

The skirmish, which took place in the Sheung Shui neighbourhood in November 2019, was one among dozens that broke out between ideological opponents at the height of Hong Kong’s massive pro-democracy protests.

The defendants made plans to protest together on the day, which showed some level of premeditation, Judge Toh said.

Earlier accounts of the Sheung Shui conflict placed blame on both sides, but Judge Toh praised the government loyalists as “unsung heroes” who acted selflessly and courageously when they stood up to the protesters.

Judge Toh said a deterrence sentence was needed, with a minor reduction after considering the duo’s age and their lack of adult supervision.

She also commended the police for being “Asia’s finest” and conducting a thorough investi­gation into the case.

At trial, defence lawyers argued that the two were threatened by police to admit respon­sibility for the death. In court, police denied allegations of coercion or intimidation.

The pro-democracy protest movement, which drew millions of Hong Kong residents on to the streets, was quashed by the Covid pandemic and a draconian nat­ional security law imposed by Beijing in June 30, 2020.

AFP