appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Clifford Lo

The iron grille of a Kwai Chung flat was locked with a bicycle chain, the outer wall of the flat painted with Chinese characters demanding debt repayment, and the door curtain set alight.

Detective Senior Inspector Choy Wai-fu said that only the door curtain had been burned in the arson attack, discovered yesterday, and no one had been injured.

'We believe it was just a threatening message to the occupant to repay a $20,000 loan shark debt. Otherwise, inflammable liquid might have been used.' At the time of the incident, the eighth-floor flat in Shek Yat House, Shek Lei Estate, was empty. The 24-year-old occupant was out and his parents were in a nearby flat on the same floor.

The danger was discovered when the occupant's father noticed the chain while on his way to work at about 5.30 am yesterday.

Sha Tin police are still investigating the motive behind another arson attack at a unit in Sha Kok Estate on Sunday, which killed a 24-year-old radiographer and injured his mother and a neighbour.

During the first three quarters of 1996, there were 24 arson incidents.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said that it had no intention of imposing restrictions on banks using debt collection agents because such institutions could help banks to reduce bad debts.

The authority's stance contrasted with that of Legislative Councillors, who called for the ban on such agents, who, they said, often intimidate debtors.

 David Carse, the authority's deputy chief executive for banking, told a Legislative Council panel yesterday that out of 289 complaints made about agents' debt collection between last April and mid-January this year, 11 involved use of violence; 71 intimidation; and two defamation.

Most of the complaints - 205 - involved complaints of nuisance, he said.

Mr Carse said the draft code for banking practice prohibited debt collection agents using intimidation and violence, so it was not necessary to impose further licensing requirements on agencies.



Alert as arson 'message' left at debtor's flat