A car owned by China Construction Bank transported voters to polling stations multiple times on Sunday’s by-election, according to FactWire.
The investigative news service reported that many pro-Beijing fraternal associations – whose members have ties to their hometown areas in the mainland – and recreational associations were active in campaigning for their preferred candidates on election day.
Factwire said a black van was driving voters around the Wah Fu public housing estate on Hong Kong Island on Sunday afternoon. It filmed two people – a man and a woman – carrying an elderly woman into the vehicle around 7:15pm. The license plates were blanked out in photos uploaded by Factwire, but the agency said the vehicle was registered under China Construction Bank.
When asked by reporters if the bank was transporting voters for pro-Beijing candidate Judy Chan, the driver said: “I don’t have time, I am working.” The elderly woman said she was disabled before the car left.
Car registered under the China Construction Bank seen ferrying elderly voters to polling station in Hong Kong by-election pic.twitter.com/lZhzaXSbkk
— FactWire World (@FactWireWorld) March 11, 2018
Around ten minutes later, the two people pushed the elderly woman, who was in a wheelchair, out of the polling station in TWGHs Hok Shan School in Wah Fu. The elderly woman said she did not know the two people when asked by reporters.
The man then said: “You don’t have to speak, we don’t know her, we don’t know what she is doing here.” The two people did not answer further questions.
The news service said the Hong Kong Community of Fuzhou Associations, the Hong Kong Swatow Merchants Association, and other rural associations have been using their cars in Kowloon West and New Territories East to campaign for the election.
FactWire also found that four elderly people sent a group photo to the WeChat group of Hong Kong Cixi Association after they voted at the To Kwa Wan Sports Centre polling station.
Elderly voters asked by pro-Beijing organisation to take photos to prove they have voted in Hong Kong Legislative Council by-election pic.twitter.com/wccdxwq3Vg
— FactWire World (@FactWireWorld) March 11, 2018
One of the elderly people told a reporter that they voted for pro-Beijing candidate Vincent Cheng and that they were asked to send the photo after they voted.
