7th February 2023 – (Hong Kong) The staff of ABOUTHAI grocery store at 610 Nathan Road, Mong Kok reported yesterday morning to police that five men came to the store at about 10pm last Friday (3rd) to cause nuisance by shouting, swearing and harassing customers. At about 10pm last Sunday (5th), two of the 5 men went to the store again to shout the name of the owner Mlke Lam and demanded to see him. After investigation by police, two teenage high school students aged 14 and 15 were arrested in Kwai Chung District and Kowloon City District respectively last night, and three more men aged between 25 and 28 were arrested in Hung Hom District and Kowloon City District in the early hours of today (7th). They were all arrested on suspicion of “disorderly conduct in public places” and are being detained for investigation.
The other three arrested persons, aged between 25 and 28 reported that they were clerk, insurance broker and unemployed person respectively. They also entered the store to shout the owner’s name. It is not known whether the incident was related to the trial of the primary election case involving the 47 pro-democracy activists recently.
Former district councillor Ng Kin-wai and founder and owner of ABOUTHAI, Mike Lam King-nam, decided to plead guilty to charges related to their participation in an pro-democracy primary poll held in 2020 to select opposition candidates for the Legislative Council election. The two told the court their decisions during pretrial proceedings last November and in January this year. The national security trial is expected to last 90 days, with four of the 47 defendants namely former legislator Au Nok Hin, former district councilors Andrew Chiu Ka-yin and Ben Chung Kam-lun, and ABOUTHAI owner Mike Lam King-nam. agreeing to turn prosecution witnesses and testify against the 16.
Meanwhile, Lam’s wife and daughter have gone to Thailand to settle down to evade the pro-democracy supporters who advocate for Hong Kong independence.