Vitasoy Vows to Back Probe of Hong Kong Policeman’s Stabbing

(Bloomberg) -- Soy-milk producer Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd. has pledged to support an investigation in Hong Kong into the stabbing of a policeman on July 1, as the attacker was reported to be one of its staff.

The company said that it would back the probe based on the National Security Law, according to a post on the Weibo social-media platform, adding that Hong Kong police had visited its office on Friday. The group supports the stability, prosperity and development of mainland China and Hong Kong, it said. Vitasoy's statement early Saturday did not identify the attacker as an employee.

On Thursday -- the 24th anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese rule -- a police officer was stabbed in the Causeway Bay neighborhood. The assailant was caught on a local website's video walking up behind the officer and striking him. The attacker then stabbed himself, before being subdued by police, the government said in a statement. He was later pronounced dead. The policeman was hospitalized and is in a serious condition.

The South China Morning Post on Friday said the assailant was 50 years old and worked as a purchasing agent at Vitasoy.

In an internal communication letter on Friday, Vitasoy said an employee passed away, extending condolences to his family, news website HK01 reported, citing people that it did not identify. The company's expressions triggered an online boycott by consumers in China, with two of Vitasoy's mainland product endorsers terminating their contracts with the soy-milk producer on Friday, HK01 said.

Vitasoy said in a separate Weibo post on Saturday that the letter was written and sent by an employee personally, without the company's approval. The wording of the letter is “extremely inappropriate”, and the company is looking into the incident, it said.