Yuen Long Victims Drop Lawsuit Against Police

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting and eight other victims of the Yuen Long mob attack on July 21, 2019 have decided to drop a civil suit against Police Commissioner Chris Tang.

Lam and other people injured in the gang rampage filed a lawsuit against the police last year, seeking compensation after the force failed to stop the violence and protect civilians as a large group of men attacked passengers at random at Yuen Long MTR Station.

Lam is currently remanded in custody over a pan-democratic primary the authorities say threatened national security.

He was quoted by his lawyer, Albert Ho, as saying that the Yuen Long case has become “too expensive” to fight and that resources could be better utilised to help other pro-democracy activists facing prosecution.

Ho noted that the lawsuit was still at a very initial stage, and said he believes it would have been at least another year before a court hearing could be held.

“It seems that it would take a very long time for the case to end… we think it is time to stop, in order to save further costs,” he said.

“The opponent (DOJ) on the other side is not only formidable, but they have unlimited resources. And they are crazy! They would use every method, every possible avenue to try to delay the matter, try to complicate the matter, and to exhaust all our financial resources.”

Ho said Lam, who’s facing a number of criminal charges, has already been locked up for “a very long time”, adding that it would be extremely tiring and stressful for him to push ahead with the civil case.

However, he quoted Lam as saying that he would continue to get to the bottom of what happened on July 21, as he faces prosecution for allegedly "rioting" while he was being attacked.