A rural patriarch has pledged to fully co-operate with police to ensure ongoing village head elections are shielded from triad influence.
Yesterday's promise by Daniel Lam Wai-keung, vice-chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk, comes amid speculation that 101 suspected triads arrested in a police raid on Saturday in Tsim Sha Tsui had intended to influence the rural voting.
Mr Lam, who is also a legislator, admitted there had been 'some incidents' during the rural polls in the past because of keen competition but said the situation had improved a lot since new arrangements were put in place in 2003.
'Competition in the village polls used to be keen. And there were some incidents. But I believe the [Tsim Sha Tsui] arrests were unrelated to the ongoing poll. But we shall keep an eye on it and make sure our village representatives are elected in a fair, open and clean manner.'
Those arrested - all males - included 26 teenagers, 18 of them students, and a 12-year-old boy. A coach driver, who drove some of the suspects, was released unconditionally yesterday. The remaining 100 were released on police bail of between $1,000 and $10,000. They are suspected of being members of a triad faction.
The arrests were made in Granville Square outside Energy Plaza in Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, in an operation with around 100 officers.