HongKong

 
With the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong approaching, some candidates have received suspicious packages from the island of Taiwan, and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) confirmed with the Global Times on Friday that the case is being handled as a case of criminal intimidation. 

Regina Ip, the New People's Party chairwoman who is also a veteran lawmaker, said she received an envelope from Taiwan containing rotten meat, according to media reports. Ip was quoted as saying in the reports that the suspicious package was threatening, and maybe the person who sent it knows that she criticized the idea of “Taiwan independence” before. 

The outspoken lawmaker, who frequently criticizes secessionism and subversion, was not the only one who received a threatening package. Nixie Lam, who is running for a seat in LegCo’s Election Committee constituency, confirmed with the Global Times on Friday that she also received a letter from Taiwan. 

“I found it very suspicious, and this letter was sent to my parents, which used to be my previous address that had been posted online,” Lam said. 

After Lam reported the case to the police, they came to check the package and found it contained chopped meat. It was considered a similar way of sending a threatening message to an individual like the recent cases of threats against judges in Hong Kong, Lam told the Global Times on Friday. 

A threatening parcel received by a candidate running for LegCo election in Hong Kong. Photo: Courtesy of Nixie Lam

The West Kowloon Magistrates' Court and the Shatin Magistrates' Court received envelopes containing unknown powder last week, sparking concerns about acts of intimidation against the judiciary.

Lam strongly condemned such acts, saying that through intimidation, some people were trying to “silence her,” affecting her bid for election. “I believe the local authorities and the HKPF will ensure that the election will be run in a safe and fair environment,” she said, noting that maybe there might be secessionist forces in Taiwan behind the incident. 

A spokesperson from the HKPF confirmed with the Global Times on Friday that they regarded the suspicious parcels as a form of criminal intimidation, which is being investigated by the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. “So far, no one has been arrested,” the spokesperson said. 

Interference or intervention in Hong Kong's election should not be tolerated, and harassment is a criminal offense, Chu Kar-kin, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and a veteran current affairs commentator based in Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Friday.  

“Furthermore, some of the victims of such intimidation are candidates running for the LegCo elections, and this is a clear violation of the Election (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (Hong Kong Legislation CAP 554),” he said. 

A so-called fugitive who fled from Hong Kong to Taiwan has claimed to have sent the threatening letter to Ip, and also claimed to have sent the threatening letters to judges in Hong Kong. 

Taking into consideration that the parcel was sent out by a fugitive from Taiwan, it is a concern that political figures or agents in Taiwan may have been involved, Chu noted. 

Forensic investigations should be employed in Hong Kong to prevent any further non-local or foreign interventions in the Hong Kong legal and political system, he continued.