Lau was in fact “the initiator and sponsor for [Ng’s] organisation and was said to be responsible for coordination behind the scenes,” Pang testified, saying the group had never been given an official name.

Pang said he was also told “all expenses for the military training in Taiwan, including tickets, food and accommodation” would be covered by Lau, who would also pay an additional HK$6,000 (US$770) to those who attended the camp held at a university campus.

The prosecution alleged that the two-week military training was held in September 2019 and was part of a plot by Ng’s organisation and the “Dragon Slaying Brigade” in which Pang, along with six other defendants on trial, had agreed to plant two bombs in Wan Chai on December 8 that year.

Pang had pleaded guilty to a joint count of conspiracy to commit bombing of prescribed objects under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance.

The other six – Cheung Chun-fu, Cheung Ming-yu, Yim Man-him, Christian Lee Ka-tin, Lai Chun-pong, and Justin Hui Cham-wing – denied the charges.

Pang on Monday told the court he and Hui were members of Ng’s team who had first met during the 2014 Occupy Central movement.

No evidence suggested that Pang and Hui belonged to the brigade formed by Wong, another defendant who, like Pang, had turned prosecution witnesses in the trial.

Pang said he had met a few of the brigade’s members on two occasions in 2019: at the military training camp in Taiwan from September 16 to 28; and during a trial run of firearms and explosives in a Sai Kung suburb at midnight on November 17.

Pang, a former restaurant manager, said he had quit his job to attend the training camp with Ng, Lai, Cheung Ming-yu and three others, after learning from Ng that their team was planning a “big mission” that was “soon to happen”.

It was the first time the court was given details of the military camp, which Pang said was held at a university campus in Changhua county, on the central western coast of Taiwan.

Pang said the group had also participated in a range of activities in various locations outside the campus, from basic physical training and weightlifting to shooting with air guns and live rounds.

He recalled that trainees had been taken to a location under a viaduct, where they were given a taste of shooting a pistol and were taught how to make different kinds of incendiary bombs.

The use of firearms and explosives was demonstrated by a retired Taiwanese solider, who was only identified as “Mr Chang”, Pang said.

He said that, on a few occasions at night in their shared accommodation, he overheard conversations between Ng, Lai and one other member in which they talked about a strategy to “force the government to yield” by “inflicting massive damage”.

“But whenever they talked about it, I would sneak out and go back to my room,” Pang said, adding the “damage” referred to the use of bombs at the 2019 protests in Hong Kong.

He added that Lau had not only provided the funds for Ng to buy firearms from the United States, but had also proposed to “corner the government” by creating a large-scale disturbance that would force the authorities to accede to protesters’ demands.

On November 17 that year, Ng brought three pistols, seven cartridges fully loaded with bullets, a rifle, and 2kg of explosives to the rendezvous in Sai Kung, where a group of six conspirators had agreed to meet under the cover of darkness for a firearms test.

Pang said he had acted as a lookout for the group while they fired their guns and Ng blew up the explosives.

He will continue to give evidence on Tuesday.