Two women pictured sleeping on the floor of a New Territories ATM vestibule have sparked fury amongst Hong Kong netizens, who have branded the pair as cheap tourists from mainland China.
A man surnamed Wong shared a photo of the drowsy duo on Facebook at 4:29am yesterday. The picture was reportedly taken at a Wing Lung Bank outlet on San Fung Avenue in Sheung Shui, and shows the women apparently having a kip on some newspapers with their baggage at their feet.
Commenters on Wong’s Facebook page and a community page for residents of the Northern District were unanimously outraged, with one sarcastically pointing out that the ATM stall was “better than a hotel” since there was 24-hour aircon, CCTV to protect their belongings, and most importantly, no fee.
Others were less wry, with many advising Wong to step on the floor-dwelling freeloaders to use the ATM, or report them to the police.
Armed with only their prejudices and this one picture, many assumed that the women were tourists or parallel traders from mainland China. Given its proximity to the Lok Ma Chau border control point, Sheung Shui is known for being a popular shopping destination for parallel traders, who use two-way permits to import goods from Hong Kong to mainland China.
Backlash from residents of the Northern District has resulted in the establishment of the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group, which shares photos and videos of suspected parallel traders in the area doing everything from stuffing live lobsters into their suitcases to funnelling wine into Coke bottles… and even posing as MTR janitors to smuggle luggage onto trains.
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