TWO British backpackers were recovering last night after being raped at knifepoint on a remote road in a Hong Kong country park.
The two women, aged 23 and 21, were returning to a youth hostel on Sunday night when a powerfully built man, believed to be of South Asian or South American origin, struck.
This attack comes after a series of country park assaults that have alarmed people in Hong Kong, which prides itself on one of the lowest levels of crime in the world.
The British women had booked in on Sunday afternoon at the Sze Lok Yuen youth hostel, which is in the shadow of Tai Mo Shan which, at 958m (3,143ft), is the largest mountain in the former British colony. Tai Mo Shan Country Park is regarded as one of the most attractive in the region with spectacular views across Hong Kong. It attracts large numbers of residents at weekends.
After a sightseeing trip the British women returned in the evening by bus, but had to take a 45-minute walk in the dark because the route did not go all the way back to the hostel. As they walked along Tai Mo Shan Road they noticed a dark van containing two or three men. One of the men got out of the van and began to follow them, drinking beer as he tried to befriend them.
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The two women resisted his advances but the man continued to pester them until they turned into the narrow track back to the hostel.
At that point he became aggressive and indecently assaulted one of the women. Her friend produced a penknife to ward off the attack but the man disarmed the woman and threatened both before overpowering them and raping them.
Their cries went unheard at the nearby hostel, where there were no other guests that night.
After the assault both women reported the attack to the hostel’s two members of staff. The attacker fled on foot.
Superintendent Gareth Williams, Assistant Tsuen Wan District Commander (Crime), said: “This is most unusual. It does not appear to be a local and the women thought he was either South Asian or South American. He spoke English to them but they did not recognise his accent.
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“He was very powerfully built and was able to overpower them with ease.”
Mr Williams said that both victims, who were treated in hospital after the attack, had suffered minor injuries to their arms and legs. “Both women are still in Hong Kong and we are working closely with them,” he said. “We have not come across this pattern of attack before.”
Police from the Tactical Support Unit have been called in to comb the area for any potential forensic evidence. Mr Williams said the police would contact local South Asian and South American communities.
Although there are very few South Americans in Hong Kong, there are a number of Nepalese and Pakistani communities in the vicinity of the attack.
Hong Kong has traditionally been known as one of the safest destinations thanks to its high level of police manpower and traditional Chinese respect for authority.
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This reputation has been tarnished in recent weeks after a series of attacks in country parks by people police believe to be criminals from the Chinese mainland. Physical attacks on Westerners are still regarded as rare.
A year-on-year comparison for the first quarter of 2003 and 2004 shows an increase in rapes in Hong Kong from 19 to 32, or 68 per cent. Indecent assaults rose 2.3 per cent, from 301 to 308.
By contrast, London recorded 196 rapes for April of this year alone.
Maggie Fan, programme and event manager for Hong Kong Youth Hotels Association, said: “We recommend that travellers, especially females, stay in city hostels where public transport is better. They should not walk out alone — always go places with a group of people.
Kelvin Chu Ka-him, the association’s administration manager, said that it would ask police to step up patrols in the area and would improve lighting near the hostel.