Cutting Crime at Hospitals

Today, I ended up walking by the North District Hospital. I had wanted to see this place, because it's only several blocks away from where I have been staying in Sheung Shui, and it was recently in the news as the scene of some shocking criminal activity (see Independent article here).

Last month, there had been some infighting among Wo Shing Wo leadership about business in Sheung Shui. (Wo Shing Wo is the largest of the Hong Kong-based Triad gangs, boasting a membership of 150,000 men). A henchman in Sheung Shui had been in a fight, and had to go to the hospital.  As he was coming out of the North District Hospital, two men came up to him, quickly and skillfully slashed him to death, and were then driven away in a car.

And, there were dozens of innocent bystanders watching. I guess they wanted to make their point loudly and clearly.

Later, there was a large wake, held for the murdered man outside, in public, where many of the man's fellow criminals were present.  But, since it was a wake, apparently the police just let them do their thing.

So, back to today.  This afternoon, after I took the photo above, I had lunch with a couple friends. I mentioned the story of the Triad murder, and my friend Doug started telling me that Sheung Shui can certainly be dangerous.  Several years ago, Doug was living in the nearby neighborhood of Sheung Shui Wai.  He was riding his bike, when he was suddenly cut off by a man in a minivan.  The man happened to be a Triad, and was experiencing inexplicable road rage.  The man stopped his car, got out, took out a torch (?!), and started beating Doug's head and chest.  (He bled profusely, and did not recover for some time.)

Despite the bleeding and pain, Doug was able to protect himself from his attacker, while a large crowd gathered to watch.  Finally, the man had to run away. People in the neighborhood definitely knew this man, and that he was guilty for many crimes.  But nobody was willing to speak as a witness against him, because he was a Triad, and the Triads can do whatever they want to do.

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Hospitals are places for saving lives, not taking them.  People definitely should not be chopped up outside of hospitals.  But these men knew what they were doing. They had it planned out perfectly.  They were confident that if they killed this guy, they would be solidifying their financial interests (see SCMP article for details).  So, they chopped him up.  And, they did it in front of dozens of onlookers, knowing that nobody would stop them, because they're Triads.

I am also personally opposed to people being chopped up inside of hospitals.  But the men who do it are trained well--and they are confident that they can chop up a dozen a day.  They become very rich in the process, and know that nobody will dare to stop them, because they're government-licensed abortion doctors.

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This evening (I often do this on my birthday), I spent time outside a hospital where they do abortions.  I prayed quietly for about an hour, thinking of all the members of my generation who have been intentionally erased from the human family.

Again, I think people should be healed and saved at hospitals.  Not poisoned and killed.

I know that abortion can be a really awful and awkward matter to talk about.  But, please...while we're in the process of working through the moral, legal, social, and  medical complexities of the issue, let's just lay down a simple ground rule for the discussion:  Whether they're inside or outside, nobody should be chopped to death at a hospital.

Nobody should be chopped to death at a hospital.

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June 7 via Facebook mobile

So grateful for this life today on my birthday. Now taking time to remember the tens of thousands of unborn Chinese children whose lives will end tomorrow.

God, turn the hearts of fathers to their children. — at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.