Roaming gangs of Mainlanders stealing children from Hong Kong shopping malls

[pepe77]

I'm not trying to make light of it, and I'm very serious.
What we know : A 40is man talked to 3 kids and offered them some food. The kids ignored him and went to their bus. 5 days later one of the parents interpreted this as a kidnapping event. The police are investigating.
Thats it -- I know nothing more about this incident. Do you?

What are the professional people saying? Do they know more? Please share any news that seems/sounds like real news (as opposed to rumours).

HC - when speaking isolated about the school case I would like to hear your opinion about someting. And there is no intention of being provocative or sarcastic.

lets say (I know you hate the term "what if" ) you have your child walking home from school. One day he comes home telling you that 2 men tried to pursuade him to get into their car because they had something to show him or whatever -. Nothing else happend....the child (due to your well thought child raising policy) did the right thing; rejected the offer and ran home to tell you about it - and you can see the child is sincerely upset and scared about the experience
You then hear the same story from 2 other parents in school - same kind of incident in the near area of the school.
Obviously the kids could have made it up, misinterpreted the situation or something else. But, I know you wuold have full confidence in your child and believe that he/she was telling the truth.
Also, obviously, there would be no case where anything illegal can be proved as nothing illegal happend and your child came home safe.

Would this change anything for you ? would you stay rational and logic about it and tell yourself that this was an incident that your child is not likely to experience again and since nothing bad happend it would be hysterical to act upon it.
Or, would you have a period of time where you would be worried - maybe even picking up your child from school, telling school personnel to keep an eye out, asking your child not to go on his/her own anymore etc. All those things would be against your principles - but would it change anything that this was now about your own child and not just a story you read in the newspaper ?

I guess I need to emphasize - I am not saying that I think something supicious went on in the LaSalle school case...and I am not questioning the official statements.

[MovingIn07]

I'm not sure your example is really related to the situation we are discussing Pepe. I'm sure if Howard's kid told him that something had happened TO HIM that he'd act on it - probably call the police I would imagine. That's QUITE different to a chain of unsubstantiated rumours!

[HowardCoombs]

lets say (I know you hate the term "what if" ) you have your child walking home from school. One day he comes home telling you that 2 men tried to pursuade him to get into their car because they had something to show him or whatever -. Nothing else happend....the child (due to your well thought child raising policy) did the right thing; rejected the offer and ran home to tell you about it - and you can see the child is sincerely upset and scared about the experience

Fair scenario that could happen but I fail to understand why my child would be scared or upset.

You then hear the same story from 2 other parents in school - same kind of incident in the near area of the school.
Obviously the kids could have made it up, misinterpreted the situation or something else. But, I know you wuold have full confidence in your child and believe that he/she was telling the truth. Also, obviously, there would be no case where anything illegal can be proved as nothing illegal happend and your child came home safe.
Would this change anything for you ? would you stay rational and logic about it and tell yourself that this was an incident that your child is not likely to experience again and since nothing bad happend it would be hysterical to act upon it.
Or, would you have a period of time where you would be worried - maybe even picking up your child from school, telling school personnel to keep an eye out, asking your child not to go on his/her own anymore etc. All those things would be against your principles - but would it change anything that this was now about your own child and not just a story you read in the newspaper ?

My reaction would be the same. I would be more cautious, give the kids a better talking to and "maybe" even get my helper to accompany the 9 year old for some period of time (no change for my older ones), until the police have finished their investigation and then re-evaluate the situation.

I would not make changes based on rumours only.

[pepe77]

I'm not sure your example is really related to the situation we are discussing Pepe. I'm sure if Howard's kid told him that something had happened TO HIM that he'd act on it - probably call the police I would imagine. That's QUITE different to a chain of unsubstantiated rumours!

It is very related; at least to the last few posts between HC and me.
My point has - all along - been that we can all have experiences that will make us feel things that it not nesecarily pragmatic and rational.

[pepe77]

Fair scenario that could happen but I fail to understand why my child would be scared or upset.

My reaction would be the same. I would be more cautious, give the kids a better talking to and "maybe" even get my helper to accompany the 9 year old for some period of time (no change for my older ones), until the police have finished their investigation and then re-evaluate the situation.

I would not make changes based on rumours only.

Well, if your 9 yo had an experience where adults were trying to bring him/her into a car and he/she had to escape and run home, I am quite sure he/she would feel some kind of scare or affraid - but ok, thats just my assumption.

Most likely - in a case like that - the police would finish the investigation with no result. So in that case you would re-evaluate the situation and then what ?

you dont need to reply - it wasn´t a real question.
My point (or claim) is just that even you would step aside of your normal very rational and pragmatic views and have some sense of worry since this happend to your child.
I know you will say I am wrong - its ok

[Raccon]

What about La Salle smart ass? Are you saying that didn't happen? You know more than the staff and the police?

Remember the keywords that I listed previously?

Kidnap fears have parents on edge

About 10 officers from the Kowloon City District Crime Squad continued their search for a middle-aged man who allegedly attempted to abduct three La Salle Primary School pupils a week ago.

And the usual "police cover up":

Police are still investigating the remaining five cases, which include the incident outside La Salle Primary School. But there is no evidence to show they were attempted abductions, he said.

"The public should remain calm as no one has been kidnapped."

This is how those "kidnappings" actually work:

Internet forums were full of rumors about attempted abductions, frightening a number of parents who said they are unable to sleep.

One netizen claimed a child was taken away yesterday morning but did not give details.

Another claimed a child was snatched on Tsui Ping Estate, Kwun Tong.

Both later explained they heard the reports from friends and had turned out to be false alarms.

Better a smart ass than an idiot that just buys into the rumors without doing a simple fact check.

From today's news (there is one of those keywords again):

Child-grab rumors run wild, spur cop caution

"The evidence so far shows that it was not attempted abduction," he said. He did not reveal the identity of those questioned.

And proof that the police does indeed at times inform:

Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School in Tin Shui Wai yesterday issued a notice to parents saying police contacted the school about a kidnap bid and that more teachers will be deployed to keep an eye on students.

And a YLPMS Alumni Association Primary School notice said police informed it of a bid by a man in his 30s to sexually harass students on Castle Peak Road.

[Raccon]

this get worse, yes, the reports of potential paedophile has been confirmed, but rumours of police coverup via rumours, this is as bad as the chinese salt/iodine remedy rumours

RTHK English News

The report also says:

The spokesman stressed none of these cases have concrete evidence suggesting abduction, and they are all isolated incidents.

Sorry to disappoint our fearmongering friends but there is still not a single bit of evidence that mainland gangs are running around snatching HK children, nor does there seem to be any other case of kidnapping/child abduction so far.

[HowardCoombs]

Well, if your 9 yo had an experience where adults were trying to bring him/her into a car and he/she had to escape and run home, I am quite sure he/she would feel some kind of scare or affraid - but ok, thats just my assumption.

I was imagining something like what allegedly happened at LaSalle, which was nothing more than some stranger talking to kids. No touching, no threats, just a smiling guy offering candy and food...

Most likely - in a case like that - the police would finish the investigation with no result. So in that case you would re-evaluate the situation and then what ?
you dont need to reply - it wasn´t a real question.
My point (or claim) is just that even you would step aside of your normal very rational and pragmatic views and have some sense of worry since this happend to your child.
I know you will say I am wrong - its ok

I will have a sense of worry for a short period of time until police conclude their investigation and come up with a conclusion, and then life will go on as normal.

I may caution my kids more regularly but I will not change my routine out of irrational fear.

[pepe77]

I was imagining something like what allegedly happened at LaSalle, which was nothing more than some stranger talking to kids. No touching, no threats, just a smiling guy offering candy and food...



I will have a sense of worry for a short period of time until police conclude their investigation and come up with a conclusion, and then life will go on as normal.

I may caution my kids more regularly but I will not change my routine out of irrational fear.

Lets close it and go for a cold beer

[100LL]

What a waste of resources. The police now need to investigate every time some idiot claims online a neighbor told him/her that he heard from a friend that a child was taken, or that somebody talked to a kid on the way to school.

You don't want to know how many nut jobs have spoken to me when I was a child and used trains/railway stations/buses going to school. Homeless, druggies, drunks, old idiots, probably pedos too, old grandmas, grandpas, older "kids" with leather jackets and colored hair, rockers, nazis, mentally disturbed and more. That's life. And I grew up in in the alps between mountains, rivers and trees on the country side and my school was in a relative small city. I would expect having a much more colorful childhood in a big city like Hong Kong in 2012... why do people panic if some dude speaks to 3 kids?

Oh yeah, I forgot. Speaking to strangers is frowned upon in Hong Kong. They may want your money, or god forbid, be mainlanders and kidnap your kids.