Localist group Hong Kong Indigenous leader Ray Wong Toi-yeung says that a person with “powerful backing” who did “not speak Cantonese” threatened to kidnap him. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Wong said the person in question used the case of Hong Kong’s missing booksellers as an example.

The person offered “not only money”, Wong said. They “said to my family that they wanted me to make demands and would answer them no matter what they were… [They said they] will find me and catch me, using Lee Bo’s case as an example.”

Hong Kong Indigenous was involved in the unrest in Mong Kok on February 8. Clashes broke out between protesters and the police over government efforts to clear street hawkers.

Ray Wong facing the police at the Mong Kok protest. Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.

“After the night of Feb 8 [during the unrest in Mong Kok], there were different people trying to reach my family and I through different methods… There was someone who successfully reached a family member and in their conversation, there were elements of threats and bribes. The caller hoped to arrange to meet me directly but we did not accept any invitations nor make a response,” Wong told reporters.

Ray Wong was arrested in Tin Shui Wai on February 21. Photo: Lai Ka-Kui/Apple Daily.

Wong disappeared shortly after the Mong Kok unrest after leaving a “final message.” He was then arrested by the police on February 21 before being granted bail. He said he understood that people wanted to know about his disappearance, and that he will be able to give a better explanation when his court case ends.

While localist groups support democracy, they are better known for their anti-communist stance and close association with movements promoting the expansion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and independence.