SOCIAL ENQUIRY
CHAN Cheong-hing
CONDEMNED PRISONER
ANNEX/10 XCR(74)
Religion: Buddhism & ancestral worship.
Native Place: Chiu Yeung, Kwong-tung, China.
Age: 43 (without statutory support for his claim)
A. GENERAL INFORMATION
The Prisoner came to Hong Kong since 1950 when he was aged about 20. He was brought up in a small family. His father was a rice trader but unfortunately his father and mother died during the World War II when he was at a very young age, leaving him and his young brother, now aged 40, still living in China, to fend for themselves. He had hardly received any education. (In those days basic education was a luxury). He took up hawking and other labour work for some time before he came to Hong Kong to look for a new future. However, sometime later he returned to China again, and was married to his wife CHEUNG Shui-fa, who was the Deceased in the present case through a match-maker who was his sister-in-law. When his wife gave birth to their eldest daughter, they settled down in Hong Kong.
In 1962, he took up sailoring with several shipping firms, working as second cook or sailor aboard a ship. He was unable to state for how long he had remained as a sailor. When he was laid off because of rheumatism his wife supplemented the family income by taking up factory work. Later when he recovered,.. he managed to work as assistant for a grocery, worker for cooked- food stall and labourer, By and large, he and his wife were currently earning enough for the upkeep of their family. Later his daughter also assisted in earning a family income by taking up factory jobs.
When serving as sailor, his general conduct and working ability were commented as 'very good' according to his Beamen's Discharge Book No. 48742.
This was all very well until his wife was working in- dependently, and drawing income for which she decided what to do with the money. This led to one of the factors of the growing gap between him and his wife for some time before the alleged incident. Their problem was known to the medical social worker of the Medical & Health Department, and the C.D.O. when material and cash assistance were granted the family. But regrettably their quarrels continued unabated beyond the capacity of the social worker to resolve for them. Finally his wife decided to seek measure for separation with him, pending final sanction from the authority.
B. FAMILY COMPOSITION
Wife: CHEUNG Shui-fa, the deceased, aged 41 when
the incident occurred. Formerly wigs or plastic factory labourer.
/Daughter
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