CY Leung’s eldest daughter Chai Yan Leung has stirred speculation about her alleged depression after posting photos of self-harm on her Facebook page. One of the two photos in question shows a slashed wrist in bloody bathwater, with the caption “Will I bleed to death?” and the other, a bloody hand with the caption “I love blood”. These photographs were posted on Wednesday at around 3am GMT, while her parents were en route to London to attend her younger sister’s graduation.
Chai Yan is no stranger to internet controversy, having incited the wrath of netizens as recently as March. She posted a status on her Facebook page decrying the connection between the much-publicised knife attack on Kevin Lau Chun-to and press freedom, which enraged many commenters, some of whom have been posting vitriolic messages to her since. However, she has somewhat bafflingly kept her Facebook open for public viewing and comment. Her comment on Kevin Lau will no doubt be fresh in the minds of many in Hong Kong, given the call for press and democratic freedom following the release of Beijing’s white paper, and the public perception of CY Leung as a puppet of central government.
Unsurprisingly, the self-harm photos were removed from Chai Yan’s Facebook page within a few hours. Hong Kong media outlets Bastille Post and Speak Out Hong Kong soon published photographs of Chai Yan sitting in the sun at Hyde Park with her parents, with her wrists noticeably concealed under long sleeves. If taken out of context, the photographs seem rather innocuous, but it seems clear that CY is desperately trying to convey a very clear message. He is even ostensibly holding a newspaper in one photo to show that it was taken on the same day Chai Yan uploaded the alarming photograph of her wrist.
The rosy depiction of a happy family is a clear statement issued by the Chief Executive to convince the public that Chai Yan is well, and the Leung family is stable. However, one has to wonder if that is the entire intended meaning, as this comes during a time of political tension and unrest in Hong Kong. To those familiar with the theory of the family as a model of the state, it seems like CY is trying to reassure the dissenting public that his leadership both as a father and the Chief Executive is still very much intact.
Photos: Chai Yan Leung, Bastille Post
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