I would have had a long hard think about making that statement you posted on your blog to the police, I do not think you thought about the implications that that statement would have under the Hong Kong Aviation Security Ordinance. Likewise making public statements that you have all of the events as an audio recording in my view has been ill thought out by you considering the implications under the Hong Kong Aviation Security Ordinance. Likewise remaining in Hong Kong where you could still be arrested under the Hong Kong Aviation Security Ordinance in my view has been ill though through.
You're thinking about rational self-interest, and I'm thinking about principles.
The rest of your comment was like that - why hold things up? Couldn't I just back down, and leave it at that?
And the answer is - no. I believe this man behaved totally irresponsibly and refused to be held accountable in writing or on audio. I gave multiple ways for him to de-escalate, he would have none of them except blind obedience or violence. The world should not work this way. If requesting a written record of an abusive manager's threat is a punishable offense, then I accept whatever punishment may come. If staying in Hong Kong and making the event transparent to the world lands me in jail, then I accept the jailtime. The world should not be run on coercion without any accountability.