Man fighting for life after attack over 'cheating' mom's mahjong debts

Michael Shum

A 34-year-old mainland man is fighting for his life after he was hit on the head in an alleged triad "peace talk" over a debt dispute in a Jordan restaurant between his mother and a couple that she had cheated out of HK$500,000 in a mahjong game.

The man, surnamed Li, who holds a two-way permit to Hong Kong, was smashed on the skull with a hard object. He is in critical condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital's intensive care unit. His younger brother, 30, was also beaten but only sustained minor injuries.

Five people, including the 55-year-old mother Zhou, her two sons, as well as the couple - husband Lau and wife Wong, both 35 years old - were arrested and the police are still searching for six others involved in the case.

Zhou and her two sons were later released unconditionally as they are believed to be the victims.

The incident happened at around 4pm on Wednesday when police received a report of an argument and a fight taking place in a VIP room of a Chinese restaurant on Woosung Street in Jordan.

Police suspected the mother and her two sons were arguing with the couple before it escalated into fistfights alongside throwing dishes and arrested all five on the spot.

Officers are also searching for five men and one woman aged between 20 and 50 who were also at the scene.

The couple was still being detained by the police as of 8pm last night for wounding.

Sources at the scene said Zhou joined Wong's mahjong game with another unnamed woman in a Jordan mahjong parlor controlled by Wo Shing Wo triad.

Wong and Lau subsequently lost around HK$500,000 to Zhou and the woman before suspecting after getting home that the two women had been cheating at the mahjong game.

But the couple was unable to find the women and sought help from a Wo Shing Wo gang leader.

The leader organized a "peace talk" at the Chinese restaurant and invited both parties to participate.

Wong showed up with Lau, who also has Wo Shing Wo background, while the leader showed up with five Wo Shing Wo members. Zhou showed up with her two sons who hid in the room next door.

Wong and Lau demanded Zhou return the money that they lost as they said she was cheating, but Zhou rejected this.

Scuffles followed, with Wong and the Wo Shing Wo members hitting and kicking Zhou and her two sons, while also throwing dishes at them.

Restaurant staff called the police after seeing the fracas as other triad members fled the scene before officers arrived. Wong and Lau were subdued by Zhou and her younger son and were not able to escape.

The elder son is in critical condition while his mother is in stable condition in QEH. The younger son has already been discharged.