local · AM730

Second media outlet reports similar powder letter

AM730 · 8 SOURCESabout 18 hours ago2 MIN

Summary

Police were called to Hong Kong 01's office at Wing Tuck Plaza, 88 Container Port Road, Kwai Chung, at about 3pm on October 21 after editorial staff found white or unidentified powder in a suspicious letter during handling or opening procedures. The letter was reported to have been sent to Hong Kong by UK airmail, addressed to “01 Tip-off”, and postmarked as processed by Royal Mail on October 13. Staff were evacuated from the affected area while police, firefighters and specialist units examined the item, and no injuries were reported. Later that evening, a second media office in Tin Wan reported receiving a similar UK-origin letter, and police opened another “police assistance” case while checking whether the two incidents were linked.

Key Points

Hong Kong 01 staff reported the suspicious letter from their office at 88 Container Port Road, Wing Tuck Plaza, and police said the call came in at about 3pm.
Reports said the envelope came by UK airmail, was marked for “01 Tip-off”, and bore a Royal Mail processing postmark dated October 13.
on.cc said the envelope carried printed Chinese and English address details, with an English-language letter and a small amount of relatively coarse powder inside
Police evacuated employees, while firefighters, explosive ordnance personnel, the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and hazardous materials crews were reported at the scene.
At about 6pm, staff at a media office in Hing Wai Centre, 7 Tin Wan Praya Road, reported a similar UK letter, and police classified that case as seeking police assistance.

Why It Matters

For Hong Kong readers, the immediate concern is whether the powder in either letter posed any danger, a question that remained unresolved as the items were taken for examination. The same-day reports involving two media organisations also raise concern about attempts to intimidate newsrooms, an issue both Hong Kong 01 and DotDotNews publicly condemned while saying operations continued normally.