Hong Kong police search for seven after Yau Ma Tei knife attack believed linked to triads
- The 42-year-old victim is believed a member of the Wo Shing Wo triad, locked in a back and forth series of revenge attacks with the rival Sun Yee On gang
- A police source says the two gangs are thought to be tied to more than five reported knifings in the past few months
A suspected triad member escaped serious injuries in a knife attack after his car was intercepted by a pair of vehicles outside a Hong Kong hotel in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting a citywide manhunt for the seven assailants.
A police source said he believed a spate of recent revenge hits between the rival Sun Yee On and Wo Shing Wo triads sparked the attack in Yau Ma Tei.
“Intelligence indicated a drug-related dispute prompted a series of retaliatory attacks between the two gangs since late last year,” he said.
He said members of the two gangs had been involved in more than five reported knife attacks in the past few months, adding he believed other assaults were not reported to police.
“The triad violence subsided as police resumed foot patrols in March and officers carried out raids on their entertainment venues,” the source said.
Police stopped foot patrols in August because the force was tied up with the anti-government protests that erupted in June in opposition to a now-withdrawn extradition bill. As the scale of the protests shrunk, police once again resumed foot patrols in March.
