Hong Kong photographer free to leave Thailand as police weigh up case against him for ‘carrying bulletproof vest’

Hong Kong photojournalist Anthony Kwan Hok-chun must wait at least two more weeks to find out if Thai police will pursue charges against him after he was stopped at a Bangkok airport carrying body armour.

A Thai court this morning granted Kwan permission to leave Thailand until the next hearing on September 29. Kwan was stopped at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after he was found carrying a bulletproof vest in his hand luggage. A licence is required to own a bulletproof vest, except when it is for military or police use.

A police probe into the case against the 29-year-old reporter is still active. If charged, the crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

“Anthony is allowed to leave Thailand [from today] and come back to report to court on September 29. “The police have not yet finished their investigation,” Kwan’s legal representative, Sirikan Charoensiri, told the this morning.

Kwan is accused of breaching Thailand’s 1987 arms control act. His travel restrictions were lifted and his passport returned 10 days ago.