HK lawmaker stabbed as district council poll campaigning heats up
Print Edition
A LAWMAKER in Hong Kong was stabbed by a man pretending to be a supporter yesterday, the latest violence in a city engulfed by seething protests.
In the latest incident, a man holding a bouquet approached lawmaker Junius Ho in the morning yesterday as the lawmaker was campaigning in his constituency in Tuen Mun.
Ho was stabbed in the left side of his chest. He was rushed to hospital and fortunately not in a life-threatening condition. Two of Ho’s colleagues sustained injuries in hands and arms.
Footage posted online showed the man handing Ho the flowers and asking for a picture. He then pulled a knife from his bag before striking Ho in the chest.
Ho, 57, was conscious when he got into the ambulance. His bloodstained white shirt and wound dressings could be seen on the ground in the aftermath of the attack.
The international finance hub has been convulsed by five months of huge and increasingly violent protests.
As the district council elections of Hong Kong draw near, candidates are pulling out all the stops to secure a win. But the increasingly violent turmoil is causing growing concerns about whether the election can still proceed in a safe and orderly manner.
In a statement released yesterday, the HKSAR government condemned the attack and stressed such violent acts must not be tolerated.
Hong Kong has always been diverse and inclusive, and residents should remain peaceful and rational, and respect each other when expressing opinions, according to the statement.
The attack came as the latest evidence that violence has posed a major challenge to the upcoming elections on November 24.
An increasing number of candidates have suffered varying degrees of threats, doxxing and online bullying ahead of the polling day, highlighting the urgency of ensuring a safe, clean and peaceful election.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption said last week that by the end of October, it has received 77 complaints in relation to the district council election, of which 28 cases involved use of force or duress against candidates.
Starry Lee, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the fairness of the elections was seriously jeopardized as many candidates suffered from various degrees of harassment from besieging to setting fires.
In fact, during past election run-ups in the HKSAR, it has been customary for candidates to display campaign posters on the premises of shops with the consent of the proprietor. This year, things have changed. Shop owners, despite their willingness, fear that they might fall victim to violent demonstrators who would assault people with different views or their shops would be boycotted.
On top of that, violent protesters also take to instant messaging service Telegram and online forum LIHKG, inciting cyberspace violence and abusing candidates and their families on the Internet. The platforms are currently extensively utilized by violent protesters for online bullying and the spread of misinformation.
These disrupting acts have raised increasing awareness of the Hong Kong society for an immediate halt to all forms of violence in order to hold a peaceful and reasonable election.
A spokesman for the Electoral Affairs Commission has issued a statement calling on everyone to exercise restraint and not to resort to violence.
“We urge everyone to cherish the district council election, which is a very important platform, and not to sabotage the long-standing good election culture in Hong Kong,” he noted.
The spokesman underscored that although their staff have devoted themselves fully to preparing for the election, all people in Hong Kong must work together to ensure holding the election “in a peaceful, orderly, fair and open manner.”
In late October, former legislator Wong Kwok-hing, together with 10 other representatives from a broad range of sectors, set up a concern group to urge the HKSAR government to end violence and chaos, restore law and order and take the necessary measures to guarantee the election takes place safely and fairly.
The concern group has said that many councilor’s offices or places where they serve the community have been repeatedly vandalized by rioters. Some candidates and volunteers have suffered varying degrees of intimidation, and their personal safety is under threat. Meanwhile, online communities are flooded with bullying and false fabrications, where a large amount of misleading information is posted.
More and more citizens are standing out in support of bringing reason and peace back to Hong Kong as the election is imminent. “It doesn’t matter what political stances you hold, but once you block roads, commit arson or vandalize public facilities, then it is absolutely wrongdoing,” said a local resident surnamed Au.
Another person surnamed Chan said she had concerns that the black-clad violent protesters would intimidate or beat people who go to polling stations. “People in my neighborhood told me they dare not go out to vote if they (rioters in black) show up around our community on the polling day,” she said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
