A television news reporter, Ng Ka-hin, testified in Kowloon City Court about an incident at a Thai new year celebration in Hong Kong where he was allegedly assaulted by being soaked with water guns. Ng explained that the three men on trial had continuously shot jets of water at him using powerful toy guns during last year’s Songkran festival, causing discomfort to his eyes and ears.
Despite the fact that the trio had posted a video on YouTube and Instagram mocking him and his company, TVB, Ng denied that his views were influenced by the clip. He emphasized that he had never experienced such hostile behavior before, even though he had faced challenges during street interviews in the past. Ng expressed that he did not expect to be drenched to the skin during the event and considered the intentional acts of the trio unwarranted.
The Songkran festival, which marks the Thai new year, involves mass water fights on the streets as a way to wash away sins and bad luck. After a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event returned to Kowloon City in 2023, where the alleged assaults took place.
The three defendants – Tsang Wai-shing, Ip Ka-kin, and Yuen Tsz-kin – are accused of assaulting three auxiliary police constables and two TVB journalists, including Ng and Timothy Li Tin-yiu, with water guns during the festival. Tsang and Yuen are also accused of attacking a TVB cameraman, Tam Wing-man. The defendants have denied the charges of assaulting police officers and common assault.
During the trial, Tam testified that he had invited children to splash water at Ng and Li while they were filming a news clip on South Wall Road. However, the situation escalated when the defendants aggressively targeted Tam and his colleagues. Tam claimed that Tsang had even shoved him with his elbow during the altercation.
Both Tam and Ng admitted that they would not have filed a complaint if they had not been approached by the police to assist in an investigation into public order disruption. This aligns with the statement made by their colleague, Li, in a previous court session. The trial is ongoing before Magistrate Philip Chan Chee-fai.