The District Court on 10 September 2026 sentenced two men to prison terms of 36 and 38 months after they admitted conspiring to secede under the Hong Kong National Security Law. The case involved their reported participation in the Hong Kong Democratic Nation-Building Alliance, which reports described as promoting Hong Kong independence. Judge Lin Kam-hung imposed the sentences.
The defendants were 27-year-old courier Chan Tai-sum and 25-year-old waiter Ng Sai-tung. They were accused of conspiring to secede between 6 November 2024 and 9 July 2025, and had earlier admitted one charge under the national security law.
i-CABLE News and Ming Pao reported that Chan was jailed for 38 months and Ng for 36 months, with Ng’s lower level of involvement cited as a reason for the shorter term. Sing Tao Headline also reported terms of 36 and 38 months, but did not clearly state which term applied to which defendant; reading the names in the order listed would produce the opposite allocation.
Reports said both men have autism, but the judge concluded that the condition did not prevent them from understanding the events or deciding to participate in the offences. Chan said under caution that he joined to seek political asylum in Canada, while Ng said under caution that he joined out of curiosity, according to reports.
Ming Pao reported that the men were members of a communications group. Chan was said to have suggested producing promotional material and establishing links with overseas organisations. Ng was reported to have displayed a photograph of a blue-and-white flag and called it a national flag, and to have made suggestions about policies after Hong Kong independence. i-CABLE also reported that the two participated in a Hong Kong parliamentary election and that someone raised a black bauhinia regional flag in Taiwan on 1 July 2025, but did not clearly attribute each act to either defendant.
The judge said the conduct had a negative effect on Hong Kong’s social stability and China’s political authorities. Chan was described as a reoffender because he had previously received a custodial sentence for incitement-related offences, although reports differed on whether the earlier case involved incitement or inciting others to take part in unlawful assemblies. Both men have now been sentenced after admitting the charge. Co-defendant Wong Chi-lok had earlier admitted conspiracy to secede and been jailed.