Hong Kong: Pro-govt candidates recive rotton meat from Taiwan

Two pro-government candidates in the upcoming Legislative Council (LegCo) election have received a package mailed from Taiwan containing rotten meat.

Regina Ip of the New People's Party and Nixie Lam of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) said they received a package on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The letters bore a Taiwan stamp and their addresses were printed, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

Ip told local media she thought the letter sent to her home appeared unusual and asked her domestic worker to cut it open with scissors. They found a plastic packet inside that looked like it contained vomit or bodily fluids and reported it to the police. Ip, who is running in the Hong Kong Island West District, said police examination confirmed that it contained rotten meat.

Nixie Lam, who is running for a seat in LegCo's Election Committee constituency, received a similar letter on Thursday, which police confirmed contained rotten meat similar to what several judges were sent earlier in November, her party said.

"Nixie Lam strongly condemns these despicable acts of threats... attempting to silence her," it said in a statement. "Nixie will not fear such evil forces and their conspiracy will not succeed."

In one English-language message, the Telegram user said "the legal system of Hong Kong is just a joke" and the letters were "just a protest" to demand an apology from the government over violence since June 2019 and an amnesty for protesters.

Hong Kong will deploy over 10,000 police officers to secure public order on the day of the Legislative Council elections, scheduled for December 19, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee said on Saturday.

As many as 620 polling places will be open on the day of the elections for 4.47 million of voters.

The elections were delayed last year due to the pandemic.

These parliamentary elections will be the first after a large-scale electoral reform in Hong Kong, which, inter alia, raises the number of parliament members from 70 to 90. A new composition of the Legislative Council will start working from January 1, 2022, Sputnik reported.

( With inputs from ANI )