Rape claims threaten to split radical party

The radical League of Social Democrats is engaged in a new round of political infighting over alleged sex scandals involving party dissident Edward Yum Liang-hsien.

Yum, 31, was arrested for the second time in a week yesterday after he reported back to the police in connection with an earlier alleged rape and indecent assault accusation involving a 29-year-old woman. The latest case surrounds allegations made by a 19-year-old woman.

A police spokesman would confirm only that a 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape and indecent assault. Yum was not charged and was released on bail for a second time. He was ordered to report back to police later this month.

Another officer familiar with the investigation confirmed it was Yum.

Detectives from the Sha Tin district crime squad are investigating. Yum, a co-director of the investment fund company Amicorp, could not be contacted yesterday.

The allegations of sexual misconduct threaten the league's image and could shake its political foundations. Young people form the core of the radical party's support, but criticism is mounting at the way the allegations are being handled.

Online forums are buzzing with chatter from young supporters criticising party leaders for not having a united official line on the allegations, thereby allowing various members to spread personal interpretations and rumours.