Man Missing After Prince Edward Incident 'now In UK'

A video, apparently by a man who was rumoured to have gone missing or died during last year's police storming of Prince Edward MTR station, has surfaced on the social media in which the person says he has fled to Britain and is living there now.

On August 31 last year, riot officers raced into the station and battered and pepper-sprayed people as they detained them, in what was one of the most violent episodes of the months-long unrest.

After the officers banished media and first aid workers from the scene, it led to rumours that someone had died inside the station during the police charge, and that a man called Wong Mau-chun, who was referred to online as "Hon Bo-sun", had either gone missing or had died.

In a statement online, the person said he was Wong and that on July 17, the eve of a scheduled court hearing, he fled to the United Kingdom to seek political asylum.

In a video posted online in the early hours of Monday morning, Wong said that he kept a low profile since the incident in order to protect his friends and family as he waited for his case to begin, and also to settle his personal affairs before leaving for the UK.

He said that he has been charged with eight crimes by police including rioting, that he has had no contact with his friends or family in Hong Kong, and has cut off ties with his family.

He also said in his statement that he will be revealing proof of his identity and give his account of the events later.

Police and government officials have repeatedly denied there was any fatalities during the storming of the station.