Hong Kong by-election hopeful attacked by two men after being sent razor and threatening letter
Ex-CUHK student union president Tommy Cheung, 23, was kicked and beaten after leaving Sha Tin restaurant
A citywide police search was under way on Tuesday for two men who assaulted former student activist Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, who planned to run in a Hong Kong by-election in March.
The 23-year-old former Chinese University student union president was attacked on Chik Fu Street, Sha Tin soon after 11.15pm on Monday after a late-night meal. A passer-by called police.
Cheung was taken conscious to Prince of Wales Hospital, where he was treated for minor head and arm injuries.
Speaking in hospital, Cheung said he noticed the two men looking at him when he left the restaurant and was on the way to pick up his car.
“I thought I would be fine in the main street, but I was pushed to the floor then kicked and hit with an umbrella,” he recalled. He was discharged from hospital after treatment.
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Police mounted a search in the area, but no arrests were made.
A police source said crime squad officers were investigating the motive behind the attack, as Cheung, who had been eating alone, said he did not have any prior run-ins with the two attackers.
The source also revealed that a letter with a razor blade and a newspaper cutting of the Chinese character for “kill” had been addressed to Cheung and sent to the office of the CUHK student union in Sha Tin.
The items, he said, were related to Cheung’s recent allegations of bid-rigging in the provision of estate management, cleaning and security services to local housing estates, amid an ongoing wage dispute between cleaners from a West Kowloon public housing estate and their employer.
The letter was opened on Monday afternoon, but no police report was made before the attack, he said.
“We are investigating whether the two cases are linked,” the source said.
Police are treating the cases as assault and criminal intimidation. Detectives from the Sha Tin district crime squad are handling the investigation.
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Last year, Cheung announced his intention to contest the New Territories East legislative seat in the March 11 by-election.
Ex-lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai, Labour Party underdog Steven Kwok Wing-kin and localist Ventus Lau Wing-hong all earlier announced plans to join the contest.
