Abby Choi murder: Hong Kong rural officials, villagers hold Taoist ceremony outside crime scene to pay respects to slain model
- About 40 people, including members of Tai Po Rural Committee, gather to observe rituals to pacify slain socialite’s soul and offer comfort to one another
- Local resident says tragic incident has left many distressed, with some opting to leave village where body parts were found
A group of about 40 people, consisting of Tai Po Rural Committee members, village leaders and a dozen local residents, assembled on Friday morning to burn incense and observe customary rituals performed by Taoist priests.
Members of Choi’s family did not attend the event.
Police on February 24 discovered some of Choi’s remains inside the ground-floor flat of the three-storey village house in Lung Mei Tsuen.
At the scene, officers found a skull and several ribs inside two pots, as well as two legs in a refrigerator. DNA tests later confirmed the remains belonged to the 28-year-old model. The force is still searching for Choi’s torso and hands.
Lung Mei Tsuen village leader Chan Kwok-ying said Friday’s ceremony, which started at 10am and was to last until 6pm, was initiated by the committee and other district-based groups to grant Choi’s spirit peace and help alleviate the emotional toll on the local community.
“The case has had a huge impact on our villagers. We hope the ceremony will help give comfort to our villagers,” Chan said.
Fellow village leader Chan Tin-sung, who is an indigenous inhabitant of the area, said the ceremony was open to all residents of Lung Mei Tsuen, as well as those living nearby.
Some villagers had already sought help for emotional problems, including two or three struggling with severe trauma and insomnia, he added.
Chan said village leaders last week organised a counselling session for residents with help from Hong Kong Red Cross and other groups, and would organise another one if needed.
“We hope our villagers’ mood will be calmed and they can live peacefully,” he said.
01:41
4 suspects, including ex-husband, charged in killing of Hong Kong model Abby Choi
Attendees at the ceremony included Tai Po Rural Committee member Patrick Tang Ming-tai, who said the organisation had appealed to some 180 village leaders in the district to join the event to pay their respects to Choi and support local residents.
Wong Pik-kiu, a fellow committee member, said some villagers who lived close to the crime scene had become so scared they had moved out.
“The murder case has dealt a huge blow to residents. We want to do something to make them live with a peaceful mind,” she said.
Villager Andy Cheng, who arrived at the ceremony early to pay his respects to Choi, said the impact of the socialite’s murder still lingered on in the community, with few people willing to go out at night.
The incident had also harmed business for nearby restaurants, with many patrons cancelling their bookings after details of the murder became public, he said.
Cheng added that some prospective buyers had backed out of plans to purchase houses in the village, while many tenants in the area had asked for lower rent.
“We have lived through the years-long Covid-19 pandemic and now have to go through this. Hopefully the impact will fade away,” he said.
A fellow villager surnamed Leung said he had gone to the ceremony to pay his respects and find some relief for his own mental anguish.
The 50-year-old, who works in retail, explained he felt distressed by the thought of living so close to the crime scene.
“I hope the culprits will be brought to justice as soon as possible,” he said.
Located on the northern shore of Plover Cove in Tai Po, Lung Mei Tsuen has about 1,000 flats, housing some 2,000 residents, about 200 of which are indigenous inhabitants, according to village leader Chan Tin-sung.
There are restaurants specialising in Western, Thai and local cuisines nearby, and about a dozen bicycle rental shops, with a popular cycling track close to the area.
Chan expressed concern that the murder case had cast a dark shadow over the community, saying he hoped Friday’s ceremony would help dispel people’s worries and encourage tourists to return.
A Japanese restaurant in the area was almost empty during lunch hours on Friday. A staff member said the number of diners had dwindled since the murder case emerged, with fewer than 10 patrons for lunch on some days. He recalled the eatery used to be full of residents and tourists.
“There used to be many cyclists and tourists here, but they are gone now,” he said, adding that he hoped residents’ memory of the tragic murder would soon fade and patrons would return.
Choi’s ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 28, his 65-year-old father Kwong Kau and 31-year-old brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit were all earlier charged in connection with her murder and remanded in custody without bail.
Choi’s former mother-in-law, Jenny Li Sui-heung, 63, was also denied bail after she was charged with perverting the course of justice.
Other suspects linked to the case included a 41-year-old yacht rental agent and a 29-year-old woman, both charged with assisting an offender for allegedly trying to help the victim’s ex-husband escape to Macau by sea.
Another 47-year-old woman accused of helping Kwong evade police has not been charged.
