Support for men urged after latest family tragedy
A criminologist has urged the government to set up a centre for intensive counselling and shelters for men in crises after a couple died on Saturday in the latest case of domestic violence.
Dennis Wong Sing-wing, associate professor in the department of applied social studies at City University, said murder-suicides had become increasingly common recently and he had seen about 10 similar cases this year.
'The government has given no resources for temporary shelter for men. They have underestimated the pressure felt by middle-aged men,' he said.
Lee Suen-luen, 48, attacked his wife, Ho Pui-ching, 36, with a hammer then threw her from the window of their Kwai Chung flat while their children, a girl, 12, and a boy, nine, watched. He then leapt to his death.
Professor Wong said attackers in such cases tended to be middle-aged husbands, often an unemployed grass-roots worker. The victims were usually women seeking divorce, which triggered the attack.
The couple had been due to see social workers on Wednesday to sort out their marriage problems. They had been sleeping in different rooms at their Kwai Fong Estate home. The attack was apparently triggered by an SMS message that Lee found on his wife's mobile phone that read: 'I miss you very much.'
Professor Wong said such men often felt they had no way out.
'He wants to be with the children and does not want to see his family disappear. But his wife doesn't want to be with him ... They feel guilty and want to die. They feel [there is] no way out after killing, so kill themselves.'
Professor Wong said that while unemployment, long working hours, heavy workloads and a lack of communication could all trigger such attacks, he blamed copycats for a rise in the murder-suicide phenomenon, which started two or three years ago. He also pointed a finger at some newspapers he said encouraged such tragedies by reporting cases with descriptive front-page graphics.
Paul Yip, director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, also said it was possible to identify typical murder-suicide victims. 'Based on our study on the homicide and suicide cases for the period 1989 to 2004, the group aged 30 to 49 had the highest proportion of occurrence.'
Meanwhile, Lee and Ho's two children are being cared for by relatives. The Social Welfare Department will monitor their welfare.
