'Ice' linked to Mainland student's death

Stacy Shi

A 22-year-old mainland student died after he was allegedly injected with illegal drug methamphetamine - also known as meth or "ice" - at a party, with his body abandoned on a street in Sheung Shui.

Three local men between 20 to 62 years old were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, preventing the lawful burial of a body and trafficking in dangerous drugs.

They are expected to be charged later and will appear at a Fanling Magistrates' court today.

Police received a citizen's report saying a man was found collapsed outside a village house in Fanling Wai at about 8am on Saturday.

The man was certified dead on the spot.

Tai Po district assistant commander for crime Chung Chi-keung said the victim, surnamed Xu, was studying for a master's degree at Polytechnic University and met the suspects through a dating app.

Police said Xu visited a unit in Fanling Wai to party with five other men.

Two of them arranged for Xu to be injected with meth and Xu later collapsed and dropped dead, police said.

The five then abandoned his body in an open area.

"The victim was lying on the ground without any belongings or identification documents. He was wearing a long-sleeved sweater and trousers but didn't have on any shoes," Chung said

A preliminary forensic examination found a four-centimeter-long scratch on the back of his head, and a one-centimeter-long scratch on his right thigh.

There were no fatal wounds on the body and no signs of fighting could be found at the scene.

Xu rented a subdivided flat in To Kwa Wan. Investigations in the flat then led officers to raid the Fanling Wai unit on Christmas Day, where two men - 51-year-old Kwan and 20-year-old Cheng - were arrested.

Officers also seized a small amount of meth in the unit.

The third suspect - a 62-year-old man also named Cheng - was arrested in Hang Tau Tsuen in the early hours of Tuesday.

A reenactment at the crime scene in the Fanling Wai village on Jockey Club Road was made at noon yesterday.

It is understood that Xu, from Dongguan, Guangdong, met Kwan and 20-year-old Cheng - who are in a relationship and rented the village unit involved - through a dating app targeting the LGBTQ community Grindr.

Six men allegedly held a drug-fueled sex party in the unit before Christmas. A villager who found the body, thought Xu had frozen to death while drunk.

He quoted other villagers as saying they could hear noises from time to time from people hosting parties in nearby houses.

The death comes after a male mainland student studying at the University of Hong Kong - suspected to be suffering from stress - committed suicide last week.

Education agent Zhou Wanhui said mainland students and parents worry about integrating into the new environment, especially if they do not speak Cantonese.

As an example Zhou said a female student from Beijing inquired whether there was bullying in Hong Kong universities, adding that she hoped to rent a flat in areas with more mainland students.

Student guidance consultant Clement Ng Po-shing said mainland students face various issues relating to study and society when building a new life alone.

Ng suggested students seek help from student support organizations at their universities when encountering emotional problems, as well as participate in activities by official organizations to make friends.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com