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South China Morning Post 24 August 2004
Family battle moves into funeral parlour
Two dozen police called in as man tries to open mother's coffin
Paggie Leung and Martin Wong
 Jewellery designer Edward Chiu Chung-leung scuffled with police as he tried to open his mother's coffin and prevent it from leaving the Universal Funeral Parlour in Hunghom yesterday.
Mr. Chiu went to the funeral hall with seven relatives from the mainland to bid a final farewell to his mother.
Parlour workers stopped them as they tried to enter the rear room of the funeral hall where the coffin lay, insisting that it would be unhygienic to open the coffin.
Mr. Chiu's half brother, Lee Fu-Wai, with his sons Lee Kwan-Han and Lee Kwan-kit also intervened and more than two dozen police officers were called in.
Mr. Chiu lost a court battle two weeks ago to organize the burial and engrave his family name on his mother's tombstone.
Police had to retrain Mr. Chiu and his relatives as the Lee family moved the coffin out of the funeral hall to a hearse. Later they had to hold them back as the vehicle drove away.
Mr. Chiu and his relatives did not follow the car.
"My relatives and I just wanted to have a last look at my mother…but the Lee family did not allow us," Mr. Chiu said.
He accused the officers of using excessive force and said he had already made a formal complaint to the police.
"It was so violent. All the officers thronged towards us. It was unimaginable," Mr. Chiu said.
"It was so violent. All the officers thronged towards us. It was unimaginable"
He had bruises on his left and right calves and his arms.
"One officer gripped my arms and bent my arms backwards," he said. "Another officer pushed my chest, while other officers kicked my legs and stepped on my foot."
Mr. Chiu went to the Causeway Bay police station after the incident and made a complaint about his treatment.
A police spokesman said last night they would look into the allegation.
Meanwhile, a writ of summons was filed in the High Court yesterday by Pansy Leung Tang & Chua Solicitors against Mr. Chiu. It said an article published and circulated against Leung Sun Chun, as solicitor who represented Mr. Chiu in a court case earlier, was defamatory and untrue.
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