Hong Kong protester ‘raincoat man’ wrote note blaming government, took out life insurance ahead of fatal fall, inquest hears
- Coroner’s Court also learns protester Marco Leung had declared his preference for a ‘green’ cremation, unbeknown to his family
- Police found a note in Leung’s backpack saying he felt ‘dejected’ about current events, and ‘could not find an answer to the future’
The Coroner’s Court also learned on Tuesday that Marco Leung Ling-kit – known as “raincoat man” for the yellow outfit he was wearing when he appeared at the top of a set of scaffolding to post an anti-extradition bill message – had purchased life insurance and made arrangements for his own cremation, unbeknown to his family, prior to his death outside the Pacific Place shopping mall in Admiralty on June 15, 2019.
The court is tasked with determining the cause and circumstances of the 35-year-old’s fatal fall the day before a historic rally against the now-abandoned extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to mainland China. The next day’s protest was believed to be attended by an unprecedented 2 million people.
The inquiry started on Monday with a five-member jury, but began anew on Tuesday before a new panel after an original juror expressed difficulty understanding evidence in Cantonese.
The court heard on Tuesday that at around 4pm on the day in question, Leung was spotted in a yellow raincoat standing on scaffolding on the mall’s fourth floor, with a white banner hanging beside him.
A news clip played in court said Leung briefly stepped down from the platform at around 8pm, with police negotiators trying to talk him out of danger, but he ultimately refused to cooperate.
