London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Hongkonger rejected by US consulate reveals he was protester shot last year

Hongkonger rejected by US consulate reveals he was protester shot last year

Tsang Chi-kin, 19, who has since gone into hiding over fears of the national security law, was due to appear in court on Tuesday over other charges, but did not show up.

One of the four Hong Kong activists who were turned away when they sought refuge in the US consulate in October has revealed to the Post that he was the teenager who was shot in the chest by a police officer during last year’s protest violence.

Tsang Chi-kin, 19, described the rejection as plunging him “from heaven to hell” as he recounted how he had sought to flee Hong Kong, and his fears of being prosecuted under the national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.

The Form Six student said that since being turned away, he had been living the life of a recluse.

“Having sought help from the US consulate, I can now be charged with collusion with foreign forces under the national security law,” Tsang recently said via video link from an undisclosed location.

Tsang, who has since recovered from his injury, was shot in the chest at point blank range by a police officer who was coming to the aid of a colleague being attacked during a violent protest in Tsuen Wan on October 1, China’s National Day, last year.


Tsang Chi-kin is taken to hospital after being shot in the chest by a police officer during a protest last year.


After the incident, Tsang was charged with rioting and two counts of assaulting police officers. He has previously attended court proceedings, and made his last appearance in October this year at the District Court, days before his failed asylum bid at the US consulate. At that time, his lawyers told the court he intended to plead guilty to the charges.

He was due to appear in court again on Tuesday to confirm the guilty plea, but did not show up, with Judge Justin Ko King-sau issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Tsang had offered an account of the shooting in an earlier interview with the Post, but the details cannot be reported here due to rules concerning what can be published about ongoing legal proceedings.

In his more recent interview, he said the national security law – which outlaws in broad terms any acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces – made him doubt he would get a fair trial.

“The national security law wasn’t there when I was arrested,” he said. “But since the law was imposed, the repression is intensifying. The situation in Hong Kong is getting worse. I don’t think I can stay in Hong Kong.”

Recalling the events at the consulate on October 27, Tsang said it was around 4pm when he and the three others took a taxi to Garden Road in Central and ran up the hill to the US mission.

A Post reporter who witnessed their dramatic asylum bid saw the four make it into the compound, only to later be thrown out.

Tsang said they had communicated with consulate staff earlier in the day, and had only decided to make the trip because they were given signals that the door would be open to them.

Their original plan was to go to the consulate in the morning with a fifth activist, Tony Chung Hon-lam. But Chung was arrested by police in a cafe nearby shortly after his arrival that morning. He has since been charged with secession under the national security law.

Chung’s arrest prompted the rest to abort their plan, Tsang said, though they kept in touch with the consulate.

“One of us got a phone call in the afternoon,” he said. “The person on the other end said we would be allowed to enter … and that person said something like, ‘the door is open’. We had the phone on speaker, so all four of us heard it.”


Activist Tony Chung arrives at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts in a police van in October after he was arrested under the national security law.


That gave them courage to go ahead with their plan, Tsang said, and when they arrived at the consulate, they were received by a staff member waiting for them outside.

At the gate, he could glean from their conversation with the security guards that the consulate was expecting “four names”. One of their names – that of the only US citizen in the group – was posted on a wall, Tsang recalled.

He said they were then led into the compound, where the three of them were told to wait under a staircase while their comrade with US citizenship was taken upstairs for a meeting with consulate staff.

About an hour later, they were told the consulate would not be able to help, Tsang said. Their contact details were jotted down and they were asked to “keep in touch”.

After that they were forced to leave.

“I felt like I was falling from heaven to hell,” he said.

The four were in a state of panic after the rejection, he said, and immediately jumped into a taxi to flee the scene, fearing they would be arrested by police.

Since then, Tsang has been in hiding, worried he could be arrested under the national security law for the more serious offence of colluding with foreign forces.

Responding to questions from the Post, the consulate said that under official policy, asylum could only be requested upon arrival on American soil, but it denied ever turning away any US citizen.

“The safety and security of American citizens is our highest priority,” a spokesman said.


The exterior of the US consulate in Central.


Tsang refused to disclose the details of his life in hiding, only revealing that his accommodation and daily expenses were supported by Friends of Hong Kong, a London-based, anti-China group that was also behind their asylum bid.

Friends of Hong Kong released a statement on Tuesday pledging continuing support for protesters such as Tsang, saying they were glad his case had drawn international attention, including that of the US government.

“Tsang will never surrender himself to face political persecution from the Beijing-controlled Hong Kong government,” they added.

Tsang, meanwhile, told the Post he had cut ties with his family and legal representatives.

His girlfriend had recently left Hong Kong for Britain as well, he said.

“My situation right now may put her at risk,” Tsang said. “I will miss her. I hope we can reunite soon in a place of freedom.”

Despite being stuck in limbo, and the total uncertainty surrounding his future, Tsang insisted he had no regrets.

“I’ll take any chance I can get to try and leave Hong Kong,” he said. “If I stay, my situation will get even worse.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×