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70-year-old who stood up to white-shirt gang recalls horror: ‘Bring them to justice’

蘋果日報 2020/06/22 07:22


Uncle Tang says he’ll never forget the horror of July 21.
Just as he was getting ready for bed at around 11 p.m. at his home in Tin Shui Wai, in the far northwest of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Tang caught a glimpse of the late news: men in white shirts attacking people indiscriminately in the Yuen Long subway station.
The 70-year-old man – who identified himself only as Uncle Tang – grabbed about a dozen old gray and white shirts, a hefty hoe, and rushed out of his home. He hopped on the train and rode the few stops from Tin Shui Wai to Yuen Long station.
“The TV news footage was horrible. I felt I had to do something to stop it,” Tang recalled of the night of the “721” attack in Yuen Long.
He arrived just after 12.30 a.m., handing out the shirts so the black-clad protesters could change clothes – opposing sides in the protests against the now-withdrawn extradition law and Beijing’s erosion of Hong Kong’s civil liberties had identified themselves by the colors of their clothing. Just then, a group of about 30 men in white shirts – the livery of the pro-Beijing, pro-government camp – stormed into the train station. Uncle Tang jumped in front of the protesters, raising his hoe to fend off the attacking mob.
Born in Shaoxing, China, Tang joined the People’s Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution when he was 20 years old. He retired from the army five years later and he went to Hong Kong – as an illegal immigrant – in the 1980s. He worked as a construction worker, raising five sons and two daughters, until he retired 13 years ago.
Formerly a supporter of the pro-Beijing camp, Tang’s political beliefs changed on June 12 last year when he saw live TV footage of young protesters being tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets as they tried to prevent the Hong Kong legislature from passing the extradition bill, which would have allowed mainland courts to try Hong Kongers.
But it was the night of July 21 last year that forced Tang to truly step out of his comfort zone. “I was holding this hoe and screaming at the men in white shirts. I said: ‘If you want to beat these people up, beat me too,’” said Tang, who exercises regularly and was confident that he could take down at least three to four men coming at him at the same time.
“They wanted to charge forward, but I yelled at them: ‘You’d better remember my face. Even your boss has to pour me tea when he sees me. Hit me if you dare.’”
Tang knew his threat worked because he knew many of those men in white shirts, and those men knew that he dined with their bosses regularly.
The gang spared Tang, but they didn’t stop chasing others. Two civilians were unable to escape from the attack. Another group in white shirts were attacking two taxis, one truck and a handful of private cars.
At this moment, Tang witnessed about a hundred riot police officers walking pass the scene. “Nearly 100 policemen arrived at a slow pace, and they were waving at those men in white shirts. I saw that,” he said.
Tang said from what he observed on that night, the gang of white shirts comprised triads, South Asians and middle-aged villagers from the area. He also claimed that the attack was “approved” by a mysterious, unknown force, and that the gang was given one hour “as long as they did not take any lives.”
Tang said the men in white shirts must be brought to justice.
“I’m old and it doesn’t matter if I die. But if I didn’t go that night, I would never forgive myself,” he said. “I will never forget that night until the day I die. It was horrifying. How did Hong Kong descend into such chaos?”
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