ON a cold, grey morning early this month, 40-odd people gathered at a small cemetery on Tao Fong Shan to pay their respects to Karl Ludvig Reichelt, the Norwegian founder of the historic Lutheran mission tucked high in the hills above Sha Tin. A simple yet dignified affair, the 47th anniversary memorial service was no doubt like the many others that had been held since his death in 1952. But this year, the prayers must have been more heartfelt. For only five days earlier, the peaceful Christian centre had been the target of one of a number of attacks that have left the place scarred and its people shaken.
'I've seen nothing like this in my five decades here,' said 78-year-old Tao Fong Shan resident Yeung Kwok-kwong, referring to the string of incidents that has plagued the mission since January 6, when fire gutted the organisation's administrative office. The blaze, which began just after midnight and which police have classified as arson, caused severe structural damage estimated at $1-$2 million and destroyed important documents and equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Tao Fong Shan president Philip Chia.
That incident was followed five weeks later by another blaze, again affecting the administrative office, which had been relocated nearby. But the most heartbreaking, according to one Tao Fong Shan regular, was the third fire a fortnight later, just after workers had cleaned up the mess and installed new computers.
WHAT was more worrying, however, was that the outbreak of fire had again 'followed the office', the devotee said. But most distressing was the timing of the attack, which police have also classified as arson. It took place around 9am on a Sunday, an hour or so before the weekly service and at a time when many people would have been out and about. Yet no one claims to have seen anything suspicious.
By then, Tao Fong Shan residents and regulars were feeling under siege. So when the fourth and last incident to date took place, in the early hours of March 8, it probably came as no surprise. An object was hurled against a window of the centre just after midnight. While the impact was not enough to break the glass, it shattered the serenity of Tao Fong Shan once again. With the culprit or culprits possibly plotting another attack, those associated with the 'mountain of the Christ wind' can only hope - and pray - police will intervene in time.
Without having established a motive for the attacks, all the management can do is to co-operate with the police and to protect as best it can the other Grade II historical buildings at the centre of Tao Fong Shan, says Mr Chia. These include an ornate church built in the style of a Chinese temple, with bright red columns and a pagoda-shaped roof. A symbol of the vision of the founder - to remove the Western trappings of Christianity so the faith can be interpreted in a Chinese context - it has been untouched by recent events, though it, too, is now closed to the public because of renovation work that has been sped up since the fires.
'We hired guards after the second fire,' said Mr Chia, referring to the three Gurkhas who patrol the grounds in turns. Before the attacks, there was no such security. The barrier on the main road was rarely used; cars could be driven in and out of Tao Fong Shan at any time of day or night.