Letter with razor, 'political demands' sent to Carrie Lam

A threatening letter with a safety razor addressed to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was discovered yesterday during a routine security check at Tamar government headquarters.

The Chief Executive's Office said the letter had "intimidating content" but it did not go into specifics or say where it was sent from.

Sources said the letter also contained political demands, including the release of the 2019 anti-fugitive bill protesters. The safety razor was four centimeters by 2.5cm.

Police arrived at the scene at 11.35am yesterday and took away the letter for further inspection. The case has been classified criminal intimidation.

The Chief Executive's Office "severely condemned" the incident.

A spokesman said: "Hong Kong is a society which observes the rule of law. It will not tolerate illegal acts such as violence and intimidation.

"If unlawful means are used to exert influence on the discharge of duty of an officer, no matter whether it involves the chief executive or other public officers, the government will take the case seriously and spare no effort in bringing the culprit to justice to safeguard the safety of public officers and public peace."

Apart from Lam, threatening pieces of mail were previously sent to judges, including those responsible for presiding over cases related to the social unrest in 2019, as well as pro-establishment figures.

A man going by the name "Hor Foon-hay" admitted responsibility last month for having sent several threatening letters to two judges.

Two of the letters were addressed to deputy judge of the Court of First Instance Johnny Chan Jong-herng and district judge Clement Lee Hing-nin, who had handled unrest cases.

The letters are said to have contained a piece of suspected meat in a tiny plastic bag, with a note saying "Hor, Foon-hay is watching you," according to a photo posted on the Telegram channel "Hor Foon-hay - Daily Update on Taiwan Exile 6.0."

The channel has also mentioned the threatening letters received by the West Kowloon and ShaTin Magistrates' Courts, with a hashtag "admitting responsibility."

The letters were said to have addressed deputy district judge Kathie Cheung Kit-yee and magistrate Pang Leung-ting and contained white powder, which was believed to be caustic soda.

Subsequent to the scores of threatening letters sent to judges, the Department of Justice issued statements condemning intimidation against judges and judicial officers.

The Judiciary on November 24 also severely condemned the attempts to exert improper pressure on judges and judicial officers, which it said represent a direct challenge to the rule of law and the principle of judicial independence.

Security screening has been put in place at the Court of Final Appeal building, as well as other courts and tribunals to ensure the safety of judges, judicial officers, staff of the Judiciary and other court users.