Hong Kong ‘abduction victim’ arrested for misleading police
HONG KONG: A member of a Hong Kong pro-democracy party was arrested yesterday for “misleading police” after he said he was abducted and beaten by mainland Chinese agents who punctured his legs with staples.
Howard Lam said he had been kidnapped from a busy Hong Kong street in broad daylight over his plan to send a signed photo of footballer Lionel Messi to the widow of late Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
It is illegal for mainland agents to operate in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, but the alleged abductions of a bookseller and a reclusive mainland businessman have put the city on edge.
While Hong Kong still enjoys rights and freedoms unseen on the mainland, there are growing concerns over increased Chinese interference.
Police said their investigation had cast doubt on Lam’s story. “Police have reason to believe that the person involved provided false information to mislead police personnel,” the statement said.
But supporters of Lam questioned whether the case was being properly investigated.
Lam remained in custody yesterday and calls by AFP went straight to his pager.
His arrest came after a report by local news agency FactWire, which acquired CCTV surveillance footage it said showed Lam walking in the neighbourhood of Yau Ma Tei after the time he alleged he had been abducted from there.
It reported the man it identified as Lam appeared in some footage wearing a cap, surgical mask and sunglasses, but said his gait and clothes matched earlier footage that showed his face.
“He was alone by himself, no one was seen being carried off,” FactWire said.