The Taoist ceremony was held outside the house where some of slain model Abby Choi's body parts were found to pacify her soul and offer comfort to the villagers in the area. - AP
HONG KONG: Hong Kong rural officials and villagers from Lung Mei Tsuen have gathered for a Taoist ceremony outside the house where some of slain model Abby Choi Tin-fung’s body parts were found to pacify her soul and offer comfort to one another.
Around 40 people, consisting of Tai Po Rural Committee members, village leaders and a dozen local residents, assembled on Friday (March 10) morning to burn incense and observe customary rituals performed by Taoist priests.
Members of Choi’s family did not attend the event.
Police on Feb 24 discovered some of Choi’s remains, who was reported missing earlier that week, inside the ground-floor flat of the three-storey village house in Tai Po’s Lung Mei Tsuen.
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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 missing torso and hands.
Lung Mei Tsuen village leader Chan Kwok-ying said Friday’s ceremony, which started at 10am and will 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.
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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.
The ceremony’s attendees 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 impact on 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 rents.
“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 respects and find some relief for his own mental anguish.
The 50-year-old, who works in retail, explained that 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.
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.
Readers disturbed by the details of this case are advised to call the Shall We Talk hotline operated by the Hong Kong Red Cross at 5164 5040 between 10am and 6pm. Reservations can also be made for counselling support using the same number on WhatsApp, the channel @hkrcshallwetalk on Telegram, or via this link.
