- Wah Yan College opens as normal on Tuesday as students begin end-of-term exams
- Explosives were found underneath building accessible to public on Monday
The school where two bombs were found on Monday claimed there was no evidence linking the devices to any members of the school, as students sat their exams as scheduled on Tuesday morning.
Late on Monday, bomb disposal officers defused two home-made devices containing 10kg (22lb) of high-grade explosives at the Wah Yan College Hong Kong campus on Queen's Road East in Wan Chai.
A school cleaner spotted the bomb under a building supported by pillars on a slope at about 5.30pm Monday.
"The site where the bombs were uncovered belonged to the school, but it is an open area outside the gates that can be accessed by the public," the school said in a statement.
So Ying-lun, an assistant supervisor at the school, said they had "not found any evidence pointing at teachers or students responsible for placing or making the bomb", but said the area the devices were found in was not covered by security cameras.
According to police, the two explosive devices contained two different types of explosives, and had a range of up to 50 to 100 metres (164 to 328 feet).
So admitted he was shocked and concerned when police alerted the school about bombs on campus.
"As far as we know, the police closed off nearby roads last night and conducted a thorough inspection. They lifted the cordon before midnight. So we believe the campus is safe," So said.
A Form Six student surnamed Law said he passed by the area the bombs were found several times on Monday.
"I was a bit worried because the bomb was placed right in the school," he said.
But Chan, 13, a Form One student who declined to give his full name, suspected the bomb could have been planted by outsiders as the campus sits on a hill surrounded by public roads.
"I don't think any of our students could do such a thing," Chan said.
A student in Form Three, known as Tsang, said he learned a bomb had been found on campus through social media on Monday night.
"I'm not too worried to go to school today, at least the bombs were removed." he said. "I don't think our students made (the bombs)."
A father who was dropping his son off at school by car said there was an online notice last night assuring parents the school was safe.
"It should be safe. I will also come to pick up my son after his exam," the father, who gave his surname as Hon, said.
The school's spokesman said students from Form One to Form Five would sit their end-of-semester exams on Tuesday, while Form Six students would carry on with their classes. Both are expected to end by 1.10pm.
Over the past six months, Hong Kong has been rocked by an anti-government movement sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, with increasingly violent clashes between protesters and police.
On Sunday, the Court of Final Appeal in Central and the High Court in Admiralty were firebombed during a mass rally. Weapons including a Glock semi-automatic pistol with five magazines, three daggers, knives and 105 bullets were also seized before the rally started.
Since June, police have arrested 6,022 people aged between 11 and 84 over offences related to the protests. Of the arrestees, 2,392 are students.
Police also found more than 10,000 petrol bombs at several universities in November after protesters barricaded themselves on campuses and fought police.
Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.