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HK leader asks media to give daughter space after abuse claims

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-Ying yesterday asked the media to give his daughter, Ms Leung Chai-Yan, some space after she posted online about being pushed and slapped by her mother, Ms Regina Tong, allegations that have been denied by her father.

Ms Leung claimed her mother had physically abused her. Photo: AP

Ms Leung claimed her mother had physically abused her. Photo: AP

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-Ying yesterday asked the media to give his daughter, Ms Leung Chai-Yan, some space after she posted online about being pushed and slapped by her mother, Ms Regina Tong, allegations that have been denied by her father.

In a series of Facebook posts, 23-year-old Ms Leung said her mother had physically abused her and threatened to call the police. She added that she felt trapped and that her mother’s real personality was very different from her public one.

She also claimed that she does not have the same legal rights as a regular Hong Kong citizen because of who her parents are, with no access to things such as public hospital services. In a post pinned to the top of her Facebook Timeline, she added that she was “leaving home forever”.

“There’s only so much a human can take. If I need to better my life and find happiness, this is what I’ve gotta do. I’m doing this. Finally,” she wrote.

Mr Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive, denied that his wife had been violent towards his daughter or that she had been barred from leaving Government House. He told journalists that the police had confirmed that no one at the scene had suffered any injuries.

This is not the first controversy by Ms Leung. Last year, she posted a photo on Facebook that appeared to show her lying in a bathtub with a slashed wrist, asking: “Will I bleed to death?” More recently, she did a series of TV interviews on a local cable network, shedding some light on her relationship with her father.

She admitted that she suffered from depression and was “pretty familiar with the insides of a London ambulance”. Ms Leung is a law student at the London School of Economics.

“As the daughter of a public officer, she has been facing tremendous pressure in life,” Mr Leung was quoted in media reports as saying. “Meanwhile, there have been many public functions at Government House and therefore, she has not had a quiet environment to recover.”

Mr Leung declined to reveal any more details about his daughter’s health.

A spokesperson for the emergency services confirmed that an ambulance had been sent to Government House after receiving a call at 10:50am yesterday. “The ambulance has left and no one needed hospital treatment,” the spokesperson said.

A police spokesperson said the force was also contacted, at 10:51am, saying “a woman needed police assistance”. She added that officers were investigating.

This is not the first time Ms Leung has landed in the spotlight for her outspoken presence on social media. In October, she gave a good tongue-lashing to her critics on Facebook after someone had seemingly likened a necklace she wore in one of her photos to a dog collar. She hit back by saying: “This is actually a beautiful necklace bought at Lane Crawford (yes- funded by all you HK taxpayers!! So are all my beautiful shoes and dresses and clutches!! Thank you so much!!!!)”.

The post surfaced in the heat of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, about a day after protesters rallied outside of her father’s office demanding his resignation, ultimately landing her a slot as the subject of mockery on the United States satirical talk show The Daily Show. AGENCIES

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