Hong Kong campaigner who organises protests against parallel trading and opposes extradition bill beaten by stick-wielding gang in Sha Tin
- A group of about four masked men set upon Leung Kam-shing, who runs concern group against tax-dodging practice
- Police are investigating attack, which victim believes could also be linked to his opposition to extradition bill
A vocal opponent of parallel trading who is also against Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill said he was viciously attacked by a gang armed with wooden sticks in Sha Tin and warned to stop “stirring up trouble”.
Leung Kam-shing, convenor of the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group, was drinking alone on the Shing Mun River Promenade, near Star Seafood Floating Restaurant, when he was ambushed by up to four masked men at about 11pm on Sunday.
The stick-wielding men threw an unknown white powder on his head and beat him, mainly on the back, according to a police source.
The attackers, who were said to be Chinese nationals, had fled before police arrived.
Max Chung Kin-ping, an organiser of the extradition bill protest in Yuen Long on July 27, visited Leung at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin on Sunday night.
Although Leung was crouched in the brace position during the attack, he saw about four men holding long, thin sticks that he suspected were rattan, according to Chung.
One of the attackers warned him not to stir up any more trouble, delivering his threats in Cantonese with a local village accent.
“I’m not sure what they meant by stirring up trouble. I was recently involved in the Sheung Shui protest and I support the anti-extradition bill movement,” Leung told RTHK on Monday morning.
“If they know where I live, they might have been tailing me for some time.”
Police officers were told that Leung did not know why he had been attacked and did not have any debt problems.
“[Leung] told police he did not [want to] pursue the case and then he left the scene,” the source said.
According to the source, there was a strong smell of alcohol around Leung and four empty beer cans were found on the ground.
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After discussions with his family, he went to hospital for treatment.
Although Leung did not file an official report, the source said officers from Sha Tin district crime squad were investigating. He said officers would check CCTV footage to gather evidence.
Despite Leung’s repeated requests for rest, police officers turned up at his home at around 1pm and brought him to Sha Tin Police Station for further investigation until 5.45pm, according to Chung.
However, police denied calling Leung repeatedly. They said they had called him at 9.40am and a few more times at noon but to no avail.
Police classified the case as “assault occasioning actual bodily harm” and “criminal intimidation”.
Leung was beaten a month after a mob in white T-shirts, wielding metal rods and wooden sticks, stormed into Yuen Long MTR station to indiscriminately attack black-clad protesters returning home from a protest against the now-shelved extradition bill, as well as bystanders.
A group of attackers was seen running into a nearby village after the violence on July 21.
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At least 27 men had been arrested for unlawful assembly so far but none had been charged. One more person was arrested on Thursday.
Leung had organised a number of anti-parallel-trader protests in the past. The latest one, on July 13, was a “reclaim Sheung Shui” march, which he said was attended by 30,000 people.
The July 13 protest ended in violence as demonstrators and police clashed, leading to two arrests. At least five officers were reported injured.
Chung said Leung had been to Yuen Long recently but he did not have any direct conflict with anyone.
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Chung also accused police of not allowing Leung to leave the scene on Sunday night because he did not have his identity card with him.
He was only sent to hospital after his family took the document to the scene, it was claimed.
Chung said Leung needed to return home to rest on Monday morning after an overnight stay in hospital and had not reported the incident to police, but reserved the right to do so.
