Mong Kok acid attacks
Encyclopedia
The Mong Kok acid attacks (旺角高空投擲腐蝕性液體傷人案) were incidents in 2008, 2009, and 2010 where plastic bottles filled with corrosive
liquid (drain cleaner
) were thrown onto shoppers on Sai Yeung Choi Street
South, Hong Kong
, a pedestrian street and popular shopping area. A reward, originally HK$100,000, for information about the perpetrator or perpetrators, was raised to HK$300,000 following the second incident, and cameras were to be installed in the area following the December incident. The third incident occurred the very day the cameras were turned on. The fifth incident happened after Hong Kong government announced its new strategies against the incident.
. Two bottles of an unspecified corrosive liquid were hurled into the crowd, possibly from the 12th floor of the Yuen King Building, onto a popular pedestrianized street area below were many were doing Christmas
shopping.
The bottles hit the ground and exploded, splashing 46 people with corrosive fluids that burned through clothes and skin. People took refuge in nearby shops as water was poured onto the spilled acid to dilute it. All injuries were minor and the injured were all released from the hospital by the next day. Two days after the attack, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang
, personally came to examine the area.
Investigation of the attack left the intersection closed for approximately two hours on December 16 as police reenacted the incident. Investigators threw bottles of chalk powder from several vantage points to gauge the exact point they might have been thrown from. Water was also poured on the ground to provide a better examination of splash and flow patterns. Door to door interviews were also performed. That same day, a reward
of HK$100,000 (approx. US$12,800) was offered for any information about the attack, officially classified as "throwing corrosive fluid with intent to do grievous bodily harm," a formula usually shortened to "throwing corrosive fluid with intent". The maximum punishment for this crime is life imprisonment
. An individual claiming to be a Triad member later claimed online to have committed the attack, but was never traced.
A month after the attack, Yau Tsim Mong District
Council voted to install four CCTV cameras in various areas with the specific aim of deterring litter-hurling in general (throwing objects from buildings is a problem in several areas of Southeast Asia) and prevent similar incidents from occurring. One of the cameras is to be installed on Hollywood Plaza at Soy Street
and Sai Yeung Choi Street South. The system, which is encrypted and whose images are stored for only ten days, could be extended at later dates.
intersection, some 150 meters from the original attack. The attack occurred around 4:47 pm and resulted in injuries to 30 persons, all but one of whom were released from the hospital the same day. A 16-year-old female teenager remained in the hospital for several days afterward. Donald Tsang again came to visit the area and urged the district council to accelerate the installation of cctv cameras. The next day, the original reward for information was increased to HK$300,000. There is suspicion (though police commissioner Tang King Shing
later admitted there was no formal indication of a link) that both cases were committed by the same perpetrator, although the nature of the liquid thrown in both cases has not been made public as of May 20. Early on that date, a second reconstitution was performed, with a number of bottles (several filled with acid) thrown from several buildings. The area was cordoned off and nearby shop were covered, with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department cleaning afterward. Twenty buildings, the Pakpolee Commercial Centre and Foo Tai Building were thus identified as "possible locations".
An unrelated incident had happened approximately one week prior to the second attack. Four persons were injured on May 4, in Tsuen Wan District
when a woman attempting to clear an ant
nest spilled a mix of bleach
, acid
and insecticide
to the street below. The incident, which injured a police officer and a baby girl, was initially thought to be a possible copycat of the December attack. The woman, who had just moved to the 12th-story flat on Hueng Woo Street, was arrested.
s flocked to the area in an attempt to capture the culprit. The modus operandi was very similar to the first two attacks, and resulted in 24 injuries, including several tourists. Yau Tsim Mong district councilor Hau Wing-Cheong noted: "This acid throwing is obviously a challenge to the police. It is an unscrupulous crime. The formal operation of the sky eyes was not supposed to be known by outsiders and the district council had planned to announce it after a meeting on Tuesday." Several detective teams were dispatched from other units, such as the anti-triad unit and blue-beret police
. In light of the poor quality of the recorded images, which may turn out to be unusable, councilor Henry Chan Man-Yu called the HK$1.7 million system "a waste of money", and another councillor criticized the government for keeping all information about the purchasing process.
The attack elicited outraged reactions from several Hong Kong politicians, who noted, like Wing-Cheong that the attack was clearly a direct insult to the police. Legislative Councilor
Paul Tse
Wai-Chun noted his worry about Hong Kong's reputation for safety, since several tourists had been injured: "We don't want our good name being tarnished overnight by the attacker. Police have to gear up to make an arrest to help regain the confidence of tourists." The government's total bounty for information soon reached HK$900,000, while Donald Tsang called the attacks "cold-blooded and malicious" in a televised broadcast
. Meanwhile local business owners have begun to grow concerned and many now stock water in case of a fourth incident.
. A shopkeeper couple (Ah Dee and Tam Chan) were assaulted by a man who had come to recover some HK$300,000 that they owed him for handbag supplies. In the middle of a brief altercation, the man, identified solely as "Tsz", whipped out a bottle and splashed the pair with acid, causing severe injuries to both and minor injuries to nine others. He was captured on the scene, the wife having chased him, shouting, and thus attracting the attention of nearby police officers. Ah Dee had to be transferred to Queen Mary Hospital
for emergency skin graft. Others were treated at Kwong Wah Hospital
and, except for his wife, discharged later that evening.
Police in Hong Kong have arrested a man suspected of carrying out an acid attack
Corrosive
A corrosive substance is one that will destroy or irreversibly damage another surface or substance with which it comes into contact. The main hazards to people include damage to the eyes, the skin, and the tissue under the skin; inhalation or ingestion of a corrosive substance can damage the...
liquid (drain cleaner
Drain cleaner
A drain cleaner is a consumer product or device that unblocks sewer pipes or helps to prevent the occurrence of clogged drains; the term may also refer to the individual who performs the activity...
) were thrown onto shoppers on Sai Yeung Choi Street
Sai Yeung Choi Street
Sai Yeung Choi Street are two streets in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, namely, Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Sai Yeung Choi Street North . Although officially two streets, local people seldom make distinction between them...
South, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, a pedestrian street and popular shopping area. A reward, originally HK$100,000, for information about the perpetrator or perpetrators, was raised to HK$300,000 following the second incident, and cameras were to be installed in the area following the December incident. The third incident occurred the very day the cameras were turned on. The fifth incident happened after Hong Kong government announced its new strategies against the incident.
December 13, 2008 incident
The first incident occurred on December 13 at 5:15pm near the intersection of Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Shantung StreetShantung Street
Shantung Street is a street in Mong Kok of Kowloon in Hong Kong. It spans from Ferry Street in the west to Yim Po Fong Street east.-Features:...
. Two bottles of an unspecified corrosive liquid were hurled into the crowd, possibly from the 12th floor of the Yuen King Building, onto a popular pedestrianized street area below were many were doing Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
shopping.
The bottles hit the ground and exploded, splashing 46 people with corrosive fluids that burned through clothes and skin. People took refuge in nearby shops as water was poured onto the spilled acid to dilute it. All injuries were minor and the injured were all released from the hospital by the next day. Two days after the attack, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
, personally came to examine the area.
Investigation of the attack left the intersection closed for approximately two hours on December 16 as police reenacted the incident. Investigators threw bottles of chalk powder from several vantage points to gauge the exact point they might have been thrown from. Water was also poured on the ground to provide a better examination of splash and flow patterns. Door to door interviews were also performed. That same day, a reward
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
of HK$100,000 (approx. US$12,800) was offered for any information about the attack, officially classified as "throwing corrosive fluid with intent to do grievous bodily harm," a formula usually shortened to "throwing corrosive fluid with intent". The maximum punishment for this crime is life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
. An individual claiming to be a Triad member later claimed online to have committed the attack, but was never traced.
A month after the attack, Yau Tsim Mong District
Yau Tsim Mong District
Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts...
Council voted to install four CCTV cameras in various areas with the specific aim of deterring litter-hurling in general (throwing objects from buildings is a problem in several areas of Southeast Asia) and prevent similar incidents from occurring. One of the cameras is to be installed on Hollywood Plaza at Soy Street
Soy Street
Soy Street is a street in Mong Kok of Kowloon, Hong Kong. It starts from Tak Cheong Street in the west crossing several major streets including Nathan Road, and ends in Waterloo Road. The section between Nathan Road and Sai Yeung Choi Street South is for pedestrians only...
and Sai Yeung Choi Street South. The system, which is encrypted and whose images are stored for only ten days, could be extended at later dates.
May 16, 2009 incident
A second incident, almost identical to the first, occurred on May 16, 2009 again in Sai Yeung Choi Street South. Two bottles were again thrown, this time near the Soy StreetSoy Street
Soy Street is a street in Mong Kok of Kowloon, Hong Kong. It starts from Tak Cheong Street in the west crossing several major streets including Nathan Road, and ends in Waterloo Road. The section between Nathan Road and Sai Yeung Choi Street South is for pedestrians only...
intersection, some 150 meters from the original attack. The attack occurred around 4:47 pm and resulted in injuries to 30 persons, all but one of whom were released from the hospital the same day. A 16-year-old female teenager remained in the hospital for several days afterward. Donald Tsang again came to visit the area and urged the district council to accelerate the installation of cctv cameras. The next day, the original reward for information was increased to HK$300,000. There is suspicion (though police commissioner Tang King Shing
Tang King Shing
Tang King-shing, PMSM, PDSM was the Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police force until 11th January 2011.-Biography:Tang joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1976 as a Probationary Inspector...
later admitted there was no formal indication of a link) that both cases were committed by the same perpetrator, although the nature of the liquid thrown in both cases has not been made public as of May 20. Early on that date, a second reconstitution was performed, with a number of bottles (several filled with acid) thrown from several buildings. The area was cordoned off and nearby shop were covered, with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department cleaning afterward. Twenty buildings, the Pakpolee Commercial Centre and Foo Tai Building were thus identified as "possible locations".
An unrelated incident had happened approximately one week prior to the second attack. Four persons were injured on May 4, in Tsuen Wan District
Tsuen Wan District
Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan Line of the MTR metro system. It had a population of 275,527 in 2001...
when a woman attempting to clear an ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
nest spilled a mix of bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
, acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
and insecticide
Insecticide
An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
to the street below. The incident, which injured a police officer and a baby girl, was initially thought to be a possible copycat of the December attack. The woman, who had just moved to the 12th-story flat on Hueng Woo Street, was arrested.
June 08, 2009 incident
A mere few hours after the announced cameras had been turned on, a third attack occurred around 8pm on June 8 at the intersection of Nelson and Sai Yeung Choi streets. Some three hundred police officerPolice officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s flocked to the area in an attempt to capture the culprit. The modus operandi was very similar to the first two attacks, and resulted in 24 injuries, including several tourists. Yau Tsim Mong district councilor Hau Wing-Cheong noted: "This acid throwing is obviously a challenge to the police. It is an unscrupulous crime. The formal operation of the sky eyes was not supposed to be known by outsiders and the district council had planned to announce it after a meeting on Tuesday." Several detective teams were dispatched from other units, such as the anti-triad unit and blue-beret police
Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong)
The Police Tactical Unit is a paramilitary riot control unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. The Police Tactical Unit provides an immediate manpower reserve for use in any emergency, Unit companies are attached to all land Regions and are available for internal security, crowd control, anti-crime...
. In light of the poor quality of the recorded images, which may turn out to be unusable, councilor Henry Chan Man-Yu called the HK$1.7 million system "a waste of money", and another councillor criticized the government for keeping all information about the purchasing process.
The attack elicited outraged reactions from several Hong Kong politicians, who noted, like Wing-Cheong that the attack was clearly a direct insult to the police. Legislative Councilor
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
Paul Tse
Paul Tse
Paul Tse Wai-chun is a Hong Kong solicitor, who advertises himself as the "Superman of Law". He also owns a small travel agency and was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the tourism functional constituency in the 2008 legislative election...
Wai-Chun noted his worry about Hong Kong's reputation for safety, since several tourists had been injured: "We don't want our good name being tarnished overnight by the attacker. Police have to gear up to make an arrest to help regain the confidence of tourists." The government's total bounty for information soon reached HK$900,000, while Donald Tsang called the attacks "cold-blooded and malicious" in a televised broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
. Meanwhile local business owners have begun to grow concerned and many now stock water in case of a fourth incident.
September 06, 2009 incident
An incident unrelated to the mass attacks of the summer occurred in the evening of September 6 at Tung Choi StreetTung Choi Street
Tung Choi Street is a street situated between Boundary Street and Dundas Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street , is one of the most well-known street markets in Hong Kong, where various kinds of products are available for...
. A shopkeeper couple (Ah Dee and Tam Chan) were assaulted by a man who had come to recover some HK$300,000 that they owed him for handbag supplies. In the middle of a brief altercation, the man, identified solely as "Tsz", whipped out a bottle and splashed the pair with acid, causing severe injuries to both and minor injuries to nine others. He was captured on the scene, the wife having chased him, shouting, and thus attracting the attention of nearby police officers. Ah Dee had to be transferred to Queen Mary Hospital
Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Queen Mary Hospital , located in Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong, is the flagship teaching hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry and Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong...
for emergency skin graft. Others were treated at Kwong Wah Hospital
Kwong Wah Hospital
Kwong Wah Hospital is a major hospital in South Kowloon of Hong Kong. It is located at Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei.The former Main Hall Building of Kwong Wah Hospital is preserved and houses the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Museum.-History:...
and, except for his wife, discharged later that evening.
January 9, 2010 incident
19 injuriesPolice in Hong Kong have arrested a man suspected of carrying out an acid attack