Security experts and lawmakers are calling for more controls on the sale of corrosive liquids.

The call comes after a fifth incident in a year in which corrosive substances have been dropped from heights on pedestrians below.

Public appeals, stepped up security patrols, the application of super computers and offers of over HK$1 million in rewards have failed to yield a breakthrough in the case. No arrests have been made. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has admitted that it will be difficult to apprehend the culprit. More than 100 people have been injured in the series of attacks which started December 13, 2008.

Calling for discussion on tighter regulation of acids, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council Security Panel James To Kun-sun said such a move could inconvenience some households but could close the trap on the culprit if the acids were rarely used domestically.

Wan Chai District Councilor Yolanda Ng Yuen-ting echoed To's call, adding nations such as Bangladesh have used it to grapple with acid attack problems.

Although the police have enlisted public help in the latest case, Bakken said such a tactic would be more difficult if the case involved older and virtually derelict buildings.

"The likelihood of a good neighbor keeping an eye on the floor was much slimmer in an almost-abandoned building," he said.

Owners and tenants of older buildings were urged by Wan Chai District Councillor Michael Mak Kwok-fung to improve security in their buildings.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/15/2009 page1)