Mother of dance teacher who died after liposuction a year ago accuses authorities of keeping her in the dark

A tearful mother yesterday accused authorities of keeping her in the dark over what caused her daughter's death after undergoing liposuction at a private clinic almost a year ago.

She said the tragedy might not have happened if the government had introduced legislation regulating the beauty industry after the death of another woman, who received a blood-transfusion therapy at a beauty clinic in 2012.

Winnie Wong said she would never have allowed her daughter Lee Ka-ying, a dance teacher, to undergo the fat-reduction procedure last June if the doctor at the Regrowth Hair Transplant Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui had told her there was any risk.

"My daughter has been dead for a year and I still cry every day. I may look strong but it is still very painful," she sobbed. "I still have no idea why she died. And I hope all of you will understand how I feel."

Lee, who gave birth to a daughter only nine months before the procedure, weighed 113kg. She had about 1.7 litres of fat extracted by a general practitioner but lost consciousness and died later in hospital.

Wong said her daughter had liposuction not to make herself prettier but for her career. She also revealed that authorities only contacted her once about her daughter's case, and she had not heard from them since.

"Knowing so little makes me feel very helpless," she said, while expressing the hope that the authorities could find out soon who was responsible for her daughter's death.