The former HKU student union president has multiple criminal charges levelled against him after meeting chaos
Billy Fung is facing trial over his part in a siege of a university meeting. The former president of the University of Hong Kong’s student union has been charged over his role in the siege of a university governing council meeting in January.
Billy Fung Jing-en, 22, has been charged with one count of criminal intimidation or disorderly conduct in a public place alternately, one count of criminal damage and one count of attempted forcible entry.
Fung was arrested at his Tsuen Wan home on Wednesday night and later released on HK$10,000 bail.
Former student union external vice-president Colman Li Fung-kei said police had gone to his home to question him, but he was out of town.
On January 26, chaos erupted on the HKU campus as students angry about governance issues besieged the council meeting.
About 200 student protesters surrounded the venue at the Sassoon Road campus in Pok Fu Lam, refusing to let new council chairman Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and university vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson leave.
Mathieson later condemned the siege as “mob rule” and “totally unnecessary”, saying the university offered to hand over footage of those involved to police.
The current president of the HKU student union Althea Suen Hiu-nam met HKU executive vice- president Steven J. Cannon on Thursday to discuss the arrest of her predecessor, Fung. In the meeting, she strongly urged the university not to give footage of the January protest to the court or police.
Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a senior counsel and former Hong Kong lawmaker, told Young Post yesterday that Suen’s speech could breach the law on perverting the course of justice.
“The student leader is now persuading the witnesses not to appear in court to testify over Fung’s arrest. I think this is a dangerous move. I encourage her to seek immediate legal advice and again, not to take any risks,” said Tong.