Hong Kong police and firefighters have entered the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 28 to search for dangerous chemicals. Photo: Yin Hao/GT

Three people were convicted on Saturday of rioting in the vicinity of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in 2019, when hundreds of protesters inside the campus were surrounded by the police during the PolyU siege. 

Fifteen people were charged after clashing with the police near the university on November 18, 2019, of which five are charged with rioting. Of the five defendants, three were convicted in the District Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday. 

The convicted defendants Kwok Chun-ming, Ting Pui-kei and Choi Yun-ting told the court that they were observing the situation, staying out of curiosity or heading to rescue a sister who was trapped in the university campus, which Deputy District Judge Lily Wong rejected, noting the reasons were "ridiculous."

One of the three, Kwok, and another defendant Yiu Chun-fai, were also convicted of possessing instruments fit for unlawful purposes.

Meanwhile, Yiu and the other defendant were found not guilty of rioting. 

Sentencing of the four is adjourned to September 25, pending more detailed background reports, during which time the convicted defendants were remanded in custody.

The PolyU siege was one of the largest riots during the yearlong social turmoil in Hong Kong in 2019. Other than the 15 charged with protesting outside the university in November 2019, more than 200 people involved in the PolyU siege were charged and more than 1,000 arrested. Previously, several people were also convicted.

Global Times