October 8 1998 (Hong Kong, China)
My name is Bolin Li; I am the CEO of a large cooperation that will remain nameless. In 1998 I was kidnapped and held for ransom by Hong Kongs most famous gangster, “The Gambler.”
The following is my account of what happened.
It was Friday afternoon the 16th of January. I was in my office on Salisbury Road in Hong Kong. My office looks out over Victoria Harbour from the 10th floor of the building. There are two ways up to my office. Either with the stairs or with the elevator.
I had just finished a conference call with my business partners, Lui Wei and Wang Yong. We were discussing the business of the week before the end of the day. It was about 6 pm, theoffice had closed an hour earlier, but I stayed to finish up some paperwork to be prepared for Monday morning.
There was a knock on my office door, and I replied to enter. I assumed it was the cleaning lady. It was not. The door opened, and The Gambler walked into the room. He was wearing a very nice black business suit with a golden silk tie against a crisp white blouse. On his left wrist, he wore a golden watch with a leather band.
I greeted him and asked what he was doing in my office. I knew who he was, and felt fear for his intentions. He walked over to my desk and informed me he intended to kidnap me for ransom.
I had no interest in being taken a hostage, so I moved to the door to exit my office. In the hall were two tall men, much taller than I am. They were westerners. 6ft tall, with blond hair and strong bodies. They too were dressed in expensive suits.
That is when I noticed one of them was pushing a cart with a large wooden box on it, about the size of a man. The box was dark wood and beautifully carved with many dragons on the outside. There were two hinges on the top of the box and a lock on the side.
The two men forced me back into my office, bringing the box with them. One of the two Westerners grabbed hold of me, while The Gambler opened the box. He told me that he would keep me in the box until he received the ransom.
The man who was holding me then picked me up and forced me into the box. I protested, but to no avail, the man was much stronger than I. I was forced to sign a letter stating I was alive and well.
That is when they closed the lid on the box and locked me inside. The box was about 5 and a half ft long, long enough for me to lay flat. Inside was silk lining, and there was enough room for me to roll over if I needed to. I could see small shafts of light coming in through air holes, but it was impossible for me to know how much time was passing.
I could not read my watch inside the box, but when he would open it to feed me, I could see the time. That is how I knew that days passed inside the box.
Sincerely,
Bolin Li
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