'Attack' adds fuel to democrat-camp fire
A Democratic Party lawmaker embroiled in a row over an alleged attack on one of his political allies by controversial People Power politician Wong Yuk-man in Taiwan last week claimed he was assaulted in a Mong Kok street yesterday.
Wong Sing-chi, Democratic Party spokesman on transport, went to the police to complain that he was kicked yesterday afternoon, in an attack he said left a 5cm cut on his right leg.
Wong Sing-chi said a short-haired, brawny man in his 20s or 30s kicked his leg as they crossed the road at the intersection of Shantung Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok.
'I think he kicked me on purpose. Not many pedestrians were crossing the road at that time. It would be hard to believe that it was simply an accident,' Wong Sing-chi said. He then went to a Mong Kok police station to report the incident and to Kwong Wah Hospital for a medical check.
He said he had no evidence that any People Power member was linked to the attack and did not believe they would be involved.
But he could not rule out the possibility that someone who had watched video clips and reports about the Taipei punch-up might have been induced to attack him.
It came after Wong Sing-chi said he saw People Power's Wong Yuk-man - nicknamed 'Mad Dog' - allegedly attack Democratic Party member Andrew Fung Wai-kwong during a visit to the Kuomintang headquarters in Taiwan on Friday for the presidential elections.
Wong Sing-chi hinted the alleged attack on him might have been connected to the Taipei incident.
But Wong Yuk-man described the attempt to link the incidents as 'senseless'. 'It is evil for Wong Sing-chi to try linking the two incidents together,' he said.
People Power said Wong Sing-chi's remarks made people link the incident with its group and supporters, and warned they reserved the right to take legal action over his 'irresponsible remarks'.
Earlier, Wong Yuk-man denied having punched Fung, and claimed instead that Democrat Alexander Yan Wing-lok had attacked a People Power member.
Wong Sing-chi disclosed yesterday that Yan had admitted to him that he had kicked an unknown person during the punch-up in Taipei. 'He [Yan] said he had done it as someone in front of him was obstructing him from filming,' Wong Sing-chi said.
He called Yan's act 'unacceptable' and said Yan should apologise.
Meanwhile, Fung issued an online apology for his provocative comments on Wong Yuk-man's son, an apology the People Power politician refused to accept.
'I apologise for accusing Yuk-man's son of causing the split in the pan-democrats. That was a reasonable suspicion, but I should say sorry because I made the claims without any evidence,' Fung said.
Nevertheless, Fung said he would submit a complaint about the Taiwan incident to Legco today.
'I genuinely believe I was punched in the face twice and that is a separate matter,' he said.
Wong Yuk-man refused to accept the apology. 'This is not a sincere apology. It's totally a public relations stunt,' Wong Yuk-man said.
A police spokeswoman said they received a report from a man surnamed Wong around 2pm yesterday and it was classified as a case of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The Mong Kok criminal investigation team was investigating the case, she said.
