Two local women were taken to the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday for questioning about their alleged spreading of rumours concerning the aftermath of Typhoon Hato on WeChat, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Yeung Sau Chan said at a press conference.
According to Yeung, one of the suspects, surnamed Pun, is 63 years old while the other suspect, surnamed Lei, is 49 years old. Both are unemployed.
The police announced on Monday the case of two local senior citizens who allegedly claimed in “false” messages on WeChat that the government had blocked all information about the damage brought about by Hato and that five corpses had been found in a car park in Fai Chi Kei. The messages did not name the car park.
A total of 10 people were killed by Hato last Wednesday. According to police reports, a body was found in the submerged car park of Fai Tat Building in Fai Chi Kei.
The messages also claimed that the government neither announced the details of the typhoon-induced damage nor allowed the media to report them, Yeung said at a press conference on Monday, adding the messages also urged WeChat users to share them with others.
Yeung said at yesterday’s press conference that after further investigation, the police identified Pun who had also sent the ‘false” messages via WeChat, adding the police took Pun from her flat in Rua do Campo to the PJ headquarters for questioning and investigation earlier yesterday.
According to Yeung, Pun admitted that she had sent the messages to a number of groups and her friends. Pun also told the police that she had received the messages from her friend Lei.
Yeung said the police had also taken Lei to the PJ headquarters for questioning, adding Lei told the police she had received the messages from others.
Yeung urged residents not to share messages which have not been verified. Otherwise, the message may be “false” and, consequently, could cause public alarm, she said.
According to Yeung, the police are still looking for the source of the “false” messages. The suspects face up to six months in prison, or a fine.
