From Songkran splashes to handcuffs: Two Hong Kong men arrested for shooting humourless cops with water (video)

Millions of people all over Thailand today are celebrating Songkran with water fights but spare a thought for two men in Hong Kong unfortunate enough to encounter some humourless cops while celebrating the Thai New Year. The pair were arrested by the party-pooping officers for disorderly conduct after they fired water guns at them at a Songkran event on Sunday in Kowloon City, a district that many people call “Little Thailand.”

The short-on-humour cops reckoned the fun-loving festival duo used the event as a cover to target law enforcers.

Cheung Lok-chuen, a chief inspector in Kowloon City, last night told South China Morning Post (SCMP) that the men, aged 25 and 26, were shooting the water guns at close range at the Songkran Festival. He said…

“It was originally a fun event for everyone, but some individuals had ulterior motives to target the police officers who maintained order and other participants at the scene.”

Cheung reckons the acts aimed at breaching public peace could have been planned. He added that further arrests were possible and the district crime squad is handling the case.

A three-minute video clip uploaded to YouTube a day after the event on Sunday appears to show participants, including the 25 year old, shooting water guns at police officers and reporters from TVB, the city’s biggest free-to-air broadcaster.

A police source told the SCMP that the 25 year old man, a security guard, was a YouTuber behind the channel “Bravedogdog” and had been arrested for disorderly conduct in February after he allegedly made noises and interrupted shoppers at a Mong Kok outlet of the AbouThai grocery chain.

He was upset that the chain’s founder Mike Lam King-nam had testified for the prosecution in a national security trial related to an unofficial Legco primary in 2020.

A police spokesman added the men’s acts were shown in a video clip and posted online with inciting words.

Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang did not comment on the case during a Legislative Council meeting yesterday but said some have been putting up “soft resistance” to incite discontent against the government.

As many Thais know, water splashing and squirt guns are used during Songkran to drive away bad luck. Unfortunately, bad luck in the shape of those humourless cops returned to arrest the fun-seekers.