Silver linings amid fear, anguish

THE INNOCENT ARE ENDANGERED

Lee Chi-cheung, 57, was set on fire by masked, black-clad radicals on Nov 11 when he tried to reason with the protesters and prevent them from vandalizing the Ma On Shan train station in Hong Kong.

One of them poured flammable liquid on Lee and set him alight with a cigarette lighter. He was hospitalized in critical condition, with burns to 40 percent of his body.

According to Lee's wife, the transplant of two-thirds of the skin in the burned area was successful.

Lee is waiting for his fourth skin graft operation, lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan said in a Facebook post on Jan 3.

Lee told Quat that he felt itchy all over the burned area, just like being bitten by many insects. He added that medicine hasn't helped, and he is unable to sleep well because of that.

Earlier, Lee had been transferred to an isolation ward after the infection of wounds behind his ears. The wounds are gradually healing. But Lee still needs to stay in the ward to prevent further infection, Quat said.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said the incident showed that the protesters have become increasingly radical.

"More and more of them are driven by personal sentiments rather than rationality," he said.

Lau added that rampaging radicals have put innocent citizens in grave danger.