File photo:Xinhua

The principal official of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday severely condemned the knife attack against a candidate of the upcoming district council elections.

Junius Ho, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, was stabbed in the chest by a male in the Tuen Mun district on Wednesday morning when he was campaigning for re-election in the district council. Two of his colleagues also sustained injuries in the attack, the official said.

The official extended deep condolences for Ho and his colleagues, and expressed extreme indignation and severe condemnation over the perpetrator's atrocity of murdering the lawmaker in broad daylight.

The perpetrator tried to stab Ho in the heart with a knife at close range, a manifest intention to kill him, the official said.

Such extremely violent crime directly targeting an election candidate has completely exceeded the bottom line of law and humanity, and will seriously damage the fairness and safety of the district council elections, the official said.

"We firmly support the relevant authorities of the HKSAR to thoroughly investigate the truth and severely punish the perpetrator."

The official stressed that as the district council elections are approaching, the extremists intend to create a black terror and a chilling effect by smashing and setting fire to the offices of district council members who love the country and love Hong Kong as well as some shops, threatening candidates and volunteers, destroying election posters, and even assassinating a patriotic candidate, so as to intimidate patriotic Hong Kong people not to run in the election, to support the election, or to vote.

Hong Kong residents should fully recognize the evil intentions of the rioters in sabotaging the district council elections and disrupting Hong Kong, stand up bravely and sternly condemn the black terror and election violence, work together to speak out against violence, maintain a fair, just and safe election order, and uphold the rule of law and the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong, the official added.