• Three men sentenced for bomb plots in Hong Kong during 2019 and 2020.
• Lukas Ho received an 18-year term for being the mastermind.
• Incidents aimed to force government action regarding COVID-19 border closures.
• No casualties resulted from the bombings, which were part of a conspiracy.
• The court emphasized deterrence over rehabilitation in its sentencing.

A Hong Kong court sentenced three individuals to prison terms of up to 18 years related to bomb plots carried out in 2019 and 2020. Lukas Ho, 41, received the longest sentence of 18 years, with Judge Johnny Chan stating that Ho was the "mastermind" and that his lack of remorse posed a "risk to public safety." Co-defendants Lee Ka-pan and Cheung Ka-chun received sentences of 16 years and eight months, respectively, due to their status as first-time offenders, which earned them minor reductions in their sentences, according to Reuters, Channel News Asia, and Al Jazeera.

The three men were convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions that primarily sought to compel the Hong Kong government to close its borders amid the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. The court addressed two specific bomb incidents: one in a hospital toilet in January 2020 and another at a railway station the following month, both of which fortunately did not result in injuries. The plots were reportedly linked to a broader strategy to provoke governmental action related to the coronavirus situation, highlighting the motivations behind their actions, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

Despite the serious nature of the charges, a jury acquitted five other defendants involved in the same cases, underlining the complexities of the legal proceedings surrounding these bomb plots. Judge Chan emphasized the importance of deterrence over rehabilitation, stating that when remorse is deemed superficial, rehabilitation cannot be considered, according to Channel News Asia and Al Jazeera.