Howard Lam, the Democratic Party member who said on Friday that he was abducted, beaten, and stapled by “mainland agents”, took to Facebook yesterday to defend his claims from detractors.
Lam, 42, said in a Facebook Live video yesterday that he wasn’t trying to “climb the political ladder” with his story, and vowed instead to quit politics in order to protect his family.
Addressing doubters who questioned the lack of physical evidence of his ordeal, Lam said, “When I got home […] my clothes were covered in saltwater, sand, and mud, and they smelled really bad. My wife told me to soak them immediately […] so I did. I didn’t really think about it.”
In response to queries about why it took him 21 hours to report the case to the police, Lam said, “I was scared. My first thought was to contact [Democratic Party leaders] Albert Ho and Martin Lee because I thought the attack on me was politically motivated.”
The 42-year-old went on to say that his family strongly opposed his press conference and police report, as they had “suffered through the Communist regime”. “That’s why I initially intended on getting the staples [in my legs] taken out at a private clinic,” Lam said.
The activist, who claimed he had been assaulted due to his plans to send a signed picture of Lionel Messi to Liu Xia — the missing widow of deceased Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo — said he would not “actively engage in politics anymore” as a result of the alleged attack.
“I don’t want to be a hero. […] I am just a coward who wants to keep my relatives safe.”
Lam held a press conference with his fellow party members on Friday to say he had been kidnapped by at least two Mandarin-speaking men. The 42-year-old said he had been rendered unconscious with an unknown chemical, beaten, and interrogated over his connection to Liu Xia.
He said his captors then “stapled crosses into his thighs” because of his Christian faith.
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