Two men jailed for Hong Kong editor attack

Yip Kim-wah and Wong Chi-wah were sentenced Friday for the attack on Kevin Lau (pictured above), former chief editor of the widely-respected Hong Kong newspaper "Ming Pao," in what a judge called a "cold-blooded" crime.

Lau was stabbed six times with a meat cleaver in broad daylight in February last year, just weeks after he was removed from his position and replaced with an editor deemed to be pro-Beijing.

His sacking sparked staff protests and fears that China was tightening its grip on the press in the semi-autonomous territory.

Yip and Wong, both 39, were convicted last week of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, with the jury taking less than four hours to reach a unanimous verdict.

On Friday, Judge Esther Toh sentenced the two men to 19 years each, describing the stabbing as "senseless" and "brazen.”

Identity of the 'mastermind' still unknown

It still remains unclear why the two men carried out the attack and who offered them an alleged payment of HK$100,000 ($13,000), with Lau calling for the "mastermind" of the crime to be brought to justice.

"They carried out this cold-blooded attack for financial gain," said Toh, adding that neither defendant had shown any remorse.

After stabbing Lau, the attackers had gone shopping, Toh recalled.

"Cold-bloodedly, after chopping Mr. Lau, both of them went shopping for shoes, and it was a particularly chilling sight to see both of them on the CCTV camera smiling and relaxed as they walked down the shopping mall," said the judge.

"Life will never be the same for him (Lau) because he will forever carry the scars of the attack, both psychologically and physically for the rest of his life," she added.

Lau was left in critical condition after the attack and continues to need physiotherapy three times a week.

Hong Kong 'very lucky' to have free press

Toh said that while there was no evidence Lau was attacked because he was a journalist, "members of the press should be equally protected as are any of our citizens."

"It is a totally senseless, brutal and vicious attack on a human being and in this case, on a journalist," she said.

"We are very lucky in Hong Kong to have a free press."

The attack on Lau was named as the most violent example of how press freedom in Hong Kong has deteriorated, a recent report by the Hong Kong Journalists Association said.

The stabbing, which came in the months before last year's mass pro-democracy protests, was widely seen as a warning to Hong Kong's vibrant media, seen as a bastion of critical reporting on China.

The two men, who were detained in mainland China before being returned to Hong Kong in March last year, had pleaded not guilty and accused police of beating them into making confessions.

Yip told the jury during the trial that several Chinese officers had told him the case was politically important to Beijing, and that they needed someone to admit to it as soon as possible.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed back to China by the UK in 1997 and is ruled under a "one country, two systems" deal, which allows greater civil liberties in the city than on the mainland.

mh/kms (AFP, Reuters)