Source: BBC
The former chief editor of prominent Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao is in a critical condition after being attacked with a cleaver, officials say.
Kevin Lau was attacked in Hong Kong by two men on Wednesday morning, police said. He suffered three wounds.
The attackers reportedly fled by motorbike.
Mr Lau was recently replaced by a Malaysian editor viewed as pro-Beijing, sparking fears among staff that the paper’s independence was under threat.
Ming Pao is a popular, credible Chinese-language newspaper, the BBC’s Juliana Liu in Hong Kong reports.
Mr Lau’s colleagues called the move to replace him an attempt to muzzle independent-thinking journalists, our correspondent adds.
‘Growing attacks’
Police are searching for two men in connection with the attack.
“One of them alighted from the motorcycle and used a chopper to attack the victim,” police spokesman Simon Kwan told reporters.
“He suffered three wounds, one in his back and two in his legs,” Mr Kwan said, adding that the back wound was deep.
In a statement, Ming Pao said it “strongly condemned the savage act”.
It added: “We are deeply angry that the assailants dared to conduct an attack in broad daylight.”