Police deny bias in fight as villagers oppose columbarium

Police denied that officers took sides in dealing with an attack as residents in a Sheung Shui village fought with workers to stop the building of a private columbarium.

Residents of the village, Tsiu Keng Lo Wai, accused police of merely standing by when they were attacked on Wednesday, adding that a chronically ill 73-year-old villager was injured as she tried to fend off a group of men with her umbrella after they attacked her son with shovels.

The woman, Lam Suet-ying, and three men aged 22 to 35 were later arrested over the case, which police classified as assault and criminal intimidation. All were released on HK$500 bail and required to report to police next month.

Democratic legislator Wong Sing-chi went to the police headquarters in Wan Chai and filed a complaint yesterday. 'The case is so unfair; the woman did nothing wrong,' Wong said. 'And officers not only did not help the woman and the villagers, they even stopped others saving them from being attacked.'

The clash occurred as villagers tried to stop workers from building a private columbarium in the village. The village head said that most of the 300 residents there opposed it, and that the developers had promised earlier that the work would not resume without their consent.

Police said the confrontation between the villagers and the developers was the seventh there since October this year.