Hong Kong actor Simon Yam stabbed in stomach on stage in China
Simon Yam at the Singapore International Film Festival (PHOTO: 27th SGIFF and Xuan Rong)
Hong Kong actor and film producer Simon Yam was stabbed in the stomach while speaking on stage during a promotional event in China on Saturday morning (Jul 20).
The 64-year-old Yam was at an event in southern Guangdong province's Zhongshan city when he was stabbed in the stomach and slashed on his right hand, the actor's management company said Saturday evening in a statement.
Yam was receiving treatment at a local hospital and his wounds are not life-threatening, the local Huoju Development Zone police said.
“He was stabbed in his stomach and slashed on his arm, but was conscious the entire time," the actor's manager, Lester Mo Gee-man told the South China Morning Post.
He added: “A preliminary investigation showed his injuries were not critical."
"We are extremely shocked by this incident," Yam's management company said.
The company added the actor had undergone a successful surgery and had his stomach and internal organs stitched up.
Video shared on Weibo – the Chinese equivalent of Twitter – showed a man rushing onto the stage, pulling out a knife and lunging at the actor. He can be seen repeatedly stabbing and slashing Yam, who tries desperately to move away while clutching his stomach.
Security guards then rush to intervene and, according to police, the attacker was detained at the scene.
According to a separate report by the BBC, a second video circulating on social media shows Yam holding his stomach in the aftermath of the attack while asking to be taken to hospital.
The actor started his career as a model before starring in a number of critically acclaimed Chinese-language films and a wide range of Hong Kong blockbusters, including Young and Dangerous, Election and Ip Man.
Yam made his Hollywood debut playing a crime lord in the 2003 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life, starring opposite Angelina Jolie.
