STAFF representing the owners of Chungking Mansions are seeking police protection following volatile scenes outside their office yesterday as the building's power crisis reached Manila-like proportions.
Jubilation over the return of a full electricity supply on Tuesday was shortlived when the mansions plunged into darkness about noon.
About 70 Indian and Pakistani traders, restaurant owners and shopkeepers stormed into the management office at 2 pm when it became apparent that promises of immediate repair had been broken.
Amid shouting, stomping and fist waving, the owner's representative, Mr Chan, explained that a new device installed as part of $500,000-worth of repairs to the main switchboard, would automatically shut the power off as soon as the building's tangled wiring became overloaded.
''We must then give the system a rest and wait for someone qualified to come and turn it back on, but it will be shut down again as soon as the demand gets too great,'' Mr Chan said.
''The people must understand that they will have to change their ways if they want to live in a safe building with a normal power supply. They will just have to learn to use more batteries.'' Mr Chan said he was only an employee and now feared for his life, especially under the new on-and-off-again regime.