Last Week in Viral News

Apr 2, Sat: A photo of a man dressed in a hospital gown begging for money in Yuen Long goes viral. He has a sign which says he is terminally ill, and needs $270 for medicine. He occasionally covers the sum with a yellow sticky note so it reads “$170” instead, before removing it again. Netizens liken his behavior to the arbitrary price fluctuations in MTR fares and public housing costs.

Apr 3, Sun: The same man in the hospital gown who was spotted asking for money in Yuen Long puts up a new sign, this time warning passersby not to steal from him, or they will go to jail. The sign also warns that he has installed a hidden camera. Another sign indicates that he needs $100 to go to the doctor, and that he is hungry. Netizens suggest that he pawns the hidden camera for medical fees and food.

Apr 4, Mon: A woman gets on the MTR on the Island Line at Chai Wan. She sits down in a seat and unfolds a table, resting her hands on it. The table takes up half the width of the carriage, but she is unfazed by other passengers.

Apr 5, Tue: A 39-year-old woman brandishes a fruit knife at a Social Welfare Department office in Yau Ma Tei. A witness says she suspects the woman was unhappy with the slow application process for social security assistance. A staff member notifies the police, who arrive at the scene and bring the situation under control. No one is injured.

Apr 6, Wed: A 19-year-old man is sentenced to six years and four months in jail for stealing more than $8,000 for a woman he had only ever met online. She had told him that her ex-boyfriend had lied to her and she didn’t have enough money to pay rent. The man then robbed three 7-Eleven stores in Fanling, stealing cash, beer and cigarettes: Although on one occasion, he only managed to steal a box of lozenges. After transferring the money to the woman, he never heard from her again.

Apr 7, Thu: A WhatsApp conversation between an employee and his supervisor goes viral: The employee asks for a day off because rain has caused flooding in his home. The supervisor says the company is short on manpower and will require his presence. She then writes, “Your CV says swimming is one of your hobbies. Have fun swimming to work.”

Apr 8, Fri: A viral Facebook post documents a woman who accuses a cleaning lady of stealing her phone from the private shuttle bus running to her apartment complex. Sobbing, the cleaning lady denies the accusation. The woman tells the cleaning lady, “This is an expensive property. A toilet here costs as much as you earn in several years.” She snatches the cleaning lady’s purse to see if her phone is inside. The building’s management calls the police, who discover that the woman left her phone on the shuttle bus.