[Lest we forget July 21] PLA veteran armed with a mattock handle stood against the white gang: I will remember this to my last day

On the night of 21 July 2019, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) veteran Uncle Tang (pseudonym) went to Yuen Long West Rail Station alone. Armed with a 5 lb. mattock handle, he stood against a gang of people dressed in white tops, among whom many were "familiar faces". "Look at who I am. Even your leader would serve me tea when he sees me. Beat me if you dare,” he said to the gang. A year has passed, Uncle Tang turned 70 right before the imminent passing of the National Security Law.  Before the evil law came into effect, an Apple Daily reader last month released a video of the white gang indiscriminately attacking vehicles on that day. This brought back Uncle Tang’s memory of that day. Once a blue ribbon (pro-establishment) supporter, Uncle Tang decided to speak out in first person to record his version of this blood stained episode in history. He wanted to tell the world: "What happened that night was certainly collusion between the police and the triad!"

At 11 pm that night, Uncle Tang was about to go back to his Tin Shui Wai home to rest when by chance, he saw the news about a white gang attacking the public indiscriminately. "I watched the video and was terrified at the scene of them beating up whoever happened to be there. I thought I must stop them."  From home, he hastily gathered 10 of his son's old grey and white tops, grabbed a 4-foot long mattock handle and took the light rail to Yuen Long West Rail Station by himself. Uncle Tang recalled arriving at the scene at 12:39 am. Once he passed the turnstile, he offered a change of clothes for the frontline protesters.  All of a sudden, more than 30 people dressed in white shirts suddenly rushed in from the carpark. Uncle Tang immediately got in front of the protesters in his martial-arts stance and held the mattock handle high, ready for a fight. 

"I was holding this stick at the time and kept arguing with them. I said, ‘If you beat anyone, beat me up as well.’ One of them wanted to charge at me and I said, ‘Look at who I am. Even your leader would serve me tea when he sees me. Beat me if you dare.’” The gangster did not dare to attack Uncle Tang, so he passed him by on the other side and continued to chase down other passers-by. Two who were a bit slow were beaten up. Another gang in white on Long Yat Road were clubbing two taxis, a truck and four to five sedans while close to a hundred riot police walked pass turning a blind eye. “I saw close to a hundred police officers walked slowly by, waving hands to the gangsters in white,” said Tang. A year later, Uncle Tang still remembered clearly the scene that night, and can even point out the exact time and place of every detail. "I will remember this to my last day. It was horrifying … and hard to forget. Why would Hong Kong get into this mess?"

"At my age, death does not concern me anymore. If I do not step forward, things will fall apart,” said Uncle Tang. Despite his old age, he had no fear facing these vicious looking gangsters because he is no stranger to them.  “Why did they not beat me?  I worked there (Nam Pin Wai) for a few years and sothey know me. In addition, I often dine with their triad leaders. Hence, they dared not beat me up.” He stressed that he is only an ordinary citizen. He is just a personal friend of a powerful and influential leader in the community which deters the gangsters. After all Uncle Tang said he has practised with the Chinese Staff for a few decades and is confident that he can protect himself. “If he really hits me, I can fight back. I can handle three to four persons. However, their number was thirty to forty.”

Uncle Tang was born in Zhaoqing 70 years ago.  During the Cultural Revolution, he was conscripted into the People’s Liberation Army when he was only 20 years old. He was allowed to retire five years later. In the 1980s, he migrated to Hong Kong illegally looking for work and later raised a family of five sons and two daughters, working as a labourer in construction sites. Since then Uncle Tang settled down in Hong Kong. He retired 13 years ago due to pains in the legs. His seven children now all have their own families and successful careers. Uncle Tang now lives alone in his privately owned apartment in Tin Shui Wai. His  pastimes are hiking, practising with the Chinese Staff and chats with triad leaders and friends. Uncle Tang now has a worry-free life and admitted that the extent of his wealth can more than support his life. 

He did not hide the fact that he was a blue ribbon (pro-establishment) supporter and applauded former Legislator Gary Cheng Kai-Nam, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). However, seeing how the pro-establishment camp are betraying the people of Hong Kong, Uncle Tang’s stance thus changed from “blue” to “yellow (pro-democracy)”.  “These years, DAB and others in the same camp are traitors, calling black as white. The National Security Law, the extradition bill benefit no one in Hong Kong. What they (DAB) say defies the logic of any Hongkonger.” He rarely participated in social movements until 12 June 2019 when he saw on TV how the police ruthlessly treated young Hong Kong people. This propelled him to go out to the street and join the marches.  "Seeing how the students are being treated, I must step forward. If we old-timers do not support them, what will happen to these teenagers?”

Uncle Tang used to enjoy a good relationship with some dominant people in the district and he recognised a few faces in the white gang that evening. "Some of them live in Sai Pin Village (sic), some live in Tung Tau Tsuen," said Uncle Tang. As far as he knows, those in the white gang have a life of leisure and rarely need to work. They live like other ordinary villagers and spend their spare time chatting with each other in the store located at the village access. They are not evil people. "They are in fact not bad people. They were being influenced at that time. … Perhaps they wanted to bootlick China. If not, why did they beat up people like this?” Uncle Tang, joining his friends in one of the Lau Fau Shan dinner gatherings, has met Fei Tin Nam (editor’s note: nickname of Ng Wai-nam, a triad leader). “The legendary Brother Nam, seeing us at the dinner, was very friendly and courteous. A very nice person.” After the 21 July terror attack, Uncle Tang has completely reversed his impression of Fei Tin Nam. “I will no longer cast my eye over him, even when he says hello to me. I hate his guts.”

Uncle Tang now loathes the gang in white after the 21 July incident, hoping that they will be brought to justice. When asked whether he would testify against these people, he said he dared not. "I am not scared but find this embarrassing," said Uncle Tang. From what he saw that night, he reckoned the gang comprised triad members, South Asians and middle aged-villagers. “Not all of them are triad members. For sure, there were some but not in large number.” From what he knows, this ridiculous drama had endorsement behind the scene. “It was promised that the drama could go on for an hour as long as there won’t be any fatality.” Uncle Tang speculated that the gangsters regretted afterwards, "In the beginning, they may not have thought that they would hit so hard. Many were regretful.”

Source: Apple Daily, 21 June 2020 

https://hk.appledaily.com/breaking/20200621/K72G356JAIR45C26OR3KIVCFDE/