Albert Cheng says he'll go off air to seek relief from the depressing political situation Outspoken radio talk-show host Albert Cheng King-hon says he will go off air for several months because he feels 'suffocated' in the current political climate. He also said he was considering retirement. The move comes a month after his office was vandalised and amid 'daily' death threats - but Cheng said these had nothing to do with his decision. Reports said Cheng had been pressured to go off air, but the host of Commercial Radio's Teacup in a Storm yesterday said he wanted to take a long break because he was depressed about the situation in Hong Kong. 'The political climate makes you feel suffocated. There's so much pressure - the slanted media, the savage Hong Kong government and tyrannical central government. It's so depressing. 'But my decision has got nothing to do with the [vandalism] incident. No violence can intimidate me. I would not go off air because of violent threats,' he said. Cheng, who is also a South China Morning Post columnist, described the vandalism as a kind of 'pollution' to the political climate. He had said earlier that he believed the attack was related to his public comments rather than business disputes as few people knew he was a shareholder in the firm whose premises were vandalised. He added that he received daily death threats over the past two months from people who wanted to silence his criticism of the government. In the vandalism attack on March 31, three men went to Cheng's trading company on the 20th floor of Kodak House, North Point, and splashed red paint over the premises. No one has been arrested. The talk-show host, who is now provided with police protection when needed, said he would think about his long-term plan during his holiday - and retirement would be one of the options. Cheng said his wife had been asking him to quit ever since he was seriously injured in a chopper attack in 1998. Cheng said he had to sort out arrangements for substitute hosts before he could finalise the details of his holiday. 'But I've promised Commercial Radio to return before the end of the year,' he said. He said he would make an announcement about his long break in his programme next week. A Commercial Radio spokeswoman declined to comment about speculation that Cheng was pressured to go off air. Cheng's column will continue to appear on the Post's Insight page every Monday.