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Lam Bun ( zh, t=林彬; 25 September 1929 – 25 August 1967) was a
radio commentator Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
at
Commercial Radio Hong Kong Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK, , aka Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited is one of the two commercial radio broadcasting companies in Hong Kong along with Metro Radio Hong Kong. CRHK provides an array of entertainment, includ ...
who was fiercely critical of leftists. He was assassinated during the
1967 Hong Kong riots The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the British colonial go ...
, becoming an icon of freedom of speech in Hong Kong.


Biography

Lam was born Lam Siu-po () in 1929. In the 1960s he worked as a radio commentator at
Commercial Radio Hong Kong Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK, , aka Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited is one of the two commercial radio broadcasting companies in Hong Kong along with Metro Radio Hong Kong. CRHK provides an array of entertainment, includ ...
, which was fiercely critical of leftists.''Writing Diaspora: Tactics of Intervention in Contemporary Cultural Studies''
Indiana University Press, 1993, p. 20
During the
1967 riots 1967 riots may refer to: * Long, hot summer of 1967, marked by race riots and civil disorder throughout the United States ** Avondale riots of 1967, June 12–18, Cincinnati, Ohio ** Buffalo riot of 1967, June 27–July 1, Buffalo, New York ** 1 ...
, Lam criticised the leftist rioters on his own radio programmes. He created a programme called "Can't Stop Striking" () to satirise the leftists, leading some leftist newspapers at the time to label him as a "traitor" and an " imperialist running dog".


Death

On 24 August 1967, while Lam was en route to work, men posing as road maintenance workers stopped his vehicle at the end of the street where he lived.''Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong''
Christine Loh, Hong Kong University Press, 2010, page 114
They blocked his car doors and doused Lam and his cousin with petrol."死亡真相 林彬送院喊:左仔害死我 Facts: Lam Bun shouts on the way to hospital 'Lefties are responsible'"
''Apple Daily'', 13 May 2010.
They were both then set on fire and burned alive.John Cooper
''Colony in Conflict: The Hong Kong Disturbances, May 1967-January 1968''
Swindon Book Company, 1970, page 183
Lam died later that day in a hospital;Karen Shimakawa
''Orientations: Mapping Studies in the Asian Diaspora''
2001, Duke University Press, p. 205
his cousin died several days later. A leftist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the assassination.Albert Wong
Radio commentator's murder dragged up in sponsorship row
'' South China Morning Post'', 13 May 2010.
No one was ever arrested, although it was believed that
Yeung Kwong Yeung Kwong ( zh, t=楊光; 1926 – 16 May 2015) was a Hong Kong trade unionist and labour rights activist. He served as chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) from 1962 to 1980 and as its president from 1980 to 1988. H ...
, then chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) and director of the
Anti-British Struggle Committee The Committee of Hong Kong and Kowloon Compatriots from All Circles for Struggle Against British Hong Kong Persecution, often shortened to the Anti-British Struggle Committee or simply the Struggle Committee, was a political committee establish ...
, ordered the murder. However, pro-Beijing politicians said in 2010 that leftists should not be blamed for Lam's death.Fanny Fung
Media misusing riot comments: lawmaker
'' South China Morning Post'', 14 May 2010.
The founder of
Commercial Radio Hong Kong Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK, , aka Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited is one of the two commercial radio broadcasting companies in Hong Kong along with Metro Radio Hong Kong. CRHK provides an array of entertainment, includ ...
George Ho George Ho Cho-chi, GBS, OBE, JP (3 November 1919 – 4 June 2014) was a Hong Kong media mogul. The fifth son of the influential businessman Robert Hotung, George Ho was the founder of the Commercial Radio Hong Kong and Commercial Television ...
launched the programme 18/F, Block C in his memory. Immediately after Lam Bun's death, most of the Chinese and English newspapers in Hong Kong condemned the killing as despicable and inhuman. On the other hand, the pro-communist leftist newspaper, ''
Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...
'', published several articles, condemning Lam Bun but not the murderers. For example, one of the articles titled "", which may be translated into English as "An underground special tactic unit had crushed the villain. The antagonist, Lam Bun, was seriously wounded". Another article in the same newspaper published on the same day described the brutal murdering as a punishment that Lam Bun had deserved (""). The Lam Bun assassination angered the people of Hong Kong, eventually leading the government of Hong Kong to suppress the riots. Lam became an icon of free speech.Kobi Chan
Activists held after attack on DAB-sponsored show
'' South China Morning Post'', 16 May 2010
The police offered a reward of
HK$ The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...
50,000, on top of which his employers added HK$100,000, making it the highest reward ever posted in the colony.


2001 GBM controversy

In 2001, Yeung Kwong was awarded the highest honour
Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...
by
Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...
.Ming K. Chan, Alvin Y. So, Lynn T. White III & M.E. Sharp
''Crisis and Transformation in China's Hong Kong''
2002, pages 15-16.
Critics in Hong Kong felt that it was inappropriate to award a riot leader who encouraged the violence which led to Lam's murder.So, Peter. 2015
"Veteran unionist Yeung Kwong, ringleader in 1967 Hong Kong riots, dies at 89"
''South China Morning Post'', 16 May 2015,


2010 Commercial Radio controversy

In May 2010, after the pro-Beijing
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a pro-Beijing conservative political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Starry Lee and holding 13 Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party in the ...
had sponsored a political radio programme on Commercial Radio, pro-democracy activists protested outside the station with images of Lam, complaining that the station had desecrated the memory of Lam, and all the station had stood for. Activists said they had requested an interview to talk about Lam's death. The station later said it respected freedom of speech; the DAB said the shows were about livelihood issues, and denied they promoted a political stance. Two DAB lawmakers stepped into the row:
Chan Kam-lam Chan Kam-lam, GBS, JP (; born 22 January 1949) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the Kowloon East constituency. He is also a core member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hon ...
said: "During the '67 riots, it was not just Lam Bun who died. There were very many ordinary citizens who, we don't know for what reason, died ..."
Wong Ting-kwong Wong Ting-kwong, GBS (, born 12 September 1949, Hong Kong) is a former member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing import and export industry in functional constituencies seats. He is a businessman, honorary president of th ...
also said leftists should not be held responsible. Pro-democracy lawmaker
Lee Cheuk-yan Lee Cheuk-yan (; born 12 February 1957 in Shanghai) is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1995 to 2016, when he lost his seat. He represented the Kowloon West and the Manufac ...
said the DAB were revisionists who "would rather people not talk about their inglorious past." Wong later clarified his comments, saying he had been misunderstood because the phrase 'leftist camp' had different definitions. He said that there was no evidence that Yeung Kwong or the FTU killed Lam Bun. He blamed the media for sensationalising his comments ahead of the 16 May by-election.


See also

*
List of unsolved murders These lists of unsolved murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances. * List of unsolved murders (before 1900) * List of unsolved murders (1900–1979) * List of unsolved murders (1980–1999) * List of u ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Bun 1929 births 1960s murders in Hong Kong 1967 crimes in Hong Kong 1967 deaths 1967 murders in Asia Assassinated activists Assassinated Chinese journalists Assassinated Hong Kong people Chinese anti-communists Critics of Marxism Deaths from fire Hong Kong journalists Hong Kong radio presenters Male murder victims People murdered in Hong Kong Radio controversies Unsolved murders in China