Hong Kong bomb suspects denied bail

HONG KONG  :Four suspects charged over
an alleged bomb plot in Hong Kong were
denied  bail last week in a case which has
been met with scepticism by pro-democracy
campaigners.

Police made the arrests last month days before
lawmakers voted on a controversial Beijing
backed political reform package which had
sparked mass street rallies at the end of last
year,

Five men and one woman ,aged 21 to 34
have been charged with conspiracy to cause
an explosion after police said they found
explosive chemicals during a raid .

Four of the five men applied for bail but
were denied ,The fifth man also remains
in custody ,The woman had already been
released  on bail.The five men have been
held in custody for more than a month
since their arrest mid June.

"Why did you appear at a place where
explosive were being tested "? Why did
you enter the location?" questioned
magistrate Don So as he denied the bail
applications "Only you were found at
the scene"he added.

Police have said they seized chemicals
which could be used to make explosive
in the June raid and that one of those arrested
admitted to being part of a radical local
group"

Local media named the group as the
National Independent Party and linked
it to a new localist "pro-democracy movement
which is seeking a more independent
Hong Kong,

But activists accused the authorities of
a smear campaign,with many saying they
had never heard of the organisation.
The chemicals were seized at an abandoned
television studio in the eastern district of
Sai Kung  with some detonated  at the scene.

A house led to the seizure of ingredients
which police said could be used to make
TATP ,a highly volatile explosive believed
to have been used in the deadly  terror
attacks in London 2005.

Air rifles and "V for Venetta "style face
masks were also found ,The masks were
occasionally worn by protesters during
the mass rallies and are a symbol of anti
establishment defiance worldwide.

During the suspects first court appearance
on June 17 they accused police of assaulting
them or forcing them to cooperate by
threatening them,the south China Morning
Post reported at the time
AFP