Attacked...Kevin Lau, former editor of the Ming Pao newspaper, was brutally attacked with a cleaver. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
THE former editor of a Hong Kong newspaper whose ouster triggered protests over media freedom and Beijing's influence, is in a critical condition after being attacked with a cleaver, authorities say.
Kevin Lau, former editor of the liberal Ming Pao newspaper, was hacked in broad daylight on Wednesday by two men who escaped on a motorbike in the Chai Wan district where the newspaper's headquarters is located, police said.
Lau, who was known for hard-hitting political investigations before being reassigned as chief editor in January, was confronted when he got out of his car.
"One of them alighted from the motorcycle and used a chopper to attack the victim," police spokesman Simon Kwan told a press conference outside the hospital where Lau was being treated.
"He suffered three wounds, one in his back and two in his legs," Kwan said, adding that the wound to his back was deep.
Injured...Kevin Lau, former editor of the Ming Pao newspaper, being wheeled in on a stretcher after he was attacked with a cleaver in broad daylight. Picture: AFP/Apple Daily Source: AFP
A government spokesman said Lau was in a critical condition.
Lau was replaced by a pro-Beijing editor from Malaysia, prompting protests by staff who feared the move was an attempt to stifle the paper's strong track record of investigative reporting.
Critics said the sidelining was politically motivated as the city undergoes a debate over the future of its political system, 17 years after the handover from British rule, and as concerns mount that Beijing is seeking to tighten control.
Protesters took to the streets again on the weekend over what they said was the erosion of press freedom.
Earlier this month two reports from international media watchdogs said self-censorship was becoming commonplace.
Fight...Pro-democracy protesters hold a picture of former Ming Pao editor Kevin Lau during a demonstration outside a hospital in Hong Kong. Picture: AP Source: AP
Under a deal struck between London and Beijing, the semi-autonomous territory of seven million is guaranteed freedom of speech among other liberties that China's mainland residents are denied.
Media groups, which have raised concerns over a series of sackings of high-profile media figures, called on the police to pursue Lau's attackers.
"We strongly condemn violence and urge the police to take action," said Hong Kong Journalists Association chairman Sham Yee-lan.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club said it was shocked over the incident and urged authorities to address the growing number of attacks against members of the press.
"Hong Kong's reputation as a free and international city will suffer if such crimes go unsolved and unpunished," it said in a statement.
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