Hong Kong man charged with murder in 1997 after being on the run for nearly three decades

A Hong Kong man has been charged with murder over a fatal fire that killed 17 people at a karaoke bar in 1997. It follows his capture in mainland China after almost three decades on the run.

Chan Wai-leung, now 52, ​​appeared in the West Kowloon District Court on Saturday. According to local media, he was denied bail and taken into custody.

Chan was arrested on Thursday after police received information from law enforcement agencies in mainland China that he had been arrested, Superintendent Lam Kai-chor of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau said in a news conference on Friday.

The suspect was believed to be behind a fire at the Top One karaoke bar in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1997 that killed 17 people. Chan was 25 years old at the time.

“The police have evidence that the suspect played an important role in the case,” Lam said.

The commissioner said that at around 4 a.m. on January 25, 1997, at least two people threw petrol bombs at the karaoke bar, days after a gang dispute broke out at the scene.

Over the years, police have arrested five people for murder in this case. Four of them were sentenced to life in prison, while one was sentenced to 11 years in prison for manslaughter, Lam said.

A 47-year-old man is still on the run. Police have offered a reward of HK$400,000 for information that could lead to his arrest. The man was 19 years old at the time.

Chan was brought back to the site of the now-closed Prat Avenue karaoke bar wearing a hooded cap to re-enact the case on Friday. He was given a plastic bottle that was supposed to resemble a Molotov cocktail.

According to local media, Chan will appear in court again on February 24 next year.

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