Hong Kong activist's Taipei boxing studio vandalized again with red paint

Taipei, Feb. 5 (CNA) A Thai boxing studio in Taipei run by Taiwan-based Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Tong Wai-hung (湯偉雄) was splashed with red paint for a second time on Wednesday, an incident Tong and civil groups have described as transnational repression.

The Taipei City Police Department said Wednesday evening that they had identified the suspect as a 46-year-old Hong Kong native surnamed Leung (梁), who also holds Taiwanese citizenship.

Police said Leung entered Taiwan at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, bought two cans of red paint in Sanchong District in New Taipei, and carried out the attack at Tong's studio in Taipei's Shilin District at around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

After the incident, Leung traveled around Taipei before heading to Taoyuan International Airport to catch a morning flight to Hong Kong, police said, adding that he is suspected of intimidation and property damage and will be arrested if he re-enters Taiwan.

Investigators are continuing to look into whether Leung had any accomplices, the department added.

Speaking at a press conference outside the Legislative Yuan on Thursday morning, Tong said that, as with the first incident in November last year, the second attack was framed as a debt dispute to mask transnational repression.

Debt-collection leaflets were scattered at the studio after Wednesday's attack, but Tong, who is wanted by Hong Kong authorities, stressed that he had no personal grudges or debt disputes with anyone.

Describing the tactic as low-cost but effective, Tong said it had disrupted his life and caused trouble for his landlord, prompting him to temporarily shut down the studio.

Amnesty International Taiwan Deputy Secretary-General Chang Chih (張弛) said the case was not simply a public order incident but a typical example of transnational repression carried out to silence, control and intimidate activists overseas.

He urged the Taiwanese government to address the chilling effect that transnational repression can have on civil society, saying Taiwan still lacks an adequate institutional framework to respond to such cases.

Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), deputy head and spokesperson of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said on Jan. 22 that the vandalism targeting Tong's studio -- referring to the first incident -- was "clearly" meant as a warning to Tong and to intimidate other Hong Kongers living in Taiwan.

Liang said at the time that police had identified two suspects from Hong Kong after reviewing surveillance footage, adding that they left Taiwan shortly after the incident to return to Hong Kong.

He said the Taiwanese government had a clear understanding of the case and would fully investigate the alleged transnational repression.