A taxi driver in Hong Kong has been arrested after uploading a picture of a passenger breastfeeding.
The 48-year-old man posted the photo, which seems to be taken from a dashboard cam, on a Facebook group for taxi drivers with the caption, “Seriously, is this for real?”.
The photo was received heavy criticism from breastfeeding advocates, political parties and government officials. Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man was amongst the many who condemned the driver’s actions.
After the backlash, the driver deleted the photo and changed his Facebook account details to a different name.
Police tracked down the driver’s IP address and arrested him at the junction of Tai Po Road and Pei Ho Street, near his home in Sham Shui Po for “accessing computers with criminal or dishonest intent”. The police escorted the man back to his flat and seized four phones as well as the clothes that he wore in the photo.
The suspect reportedly admitted to his guilt under police caution. The taxi driver had been targeted for days leading up to his arrest by officers from the Police Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau in an ambush.
The Democratic Party’s Helena Wong Pik-man, who previously advocated for the government to set up mandatory breastfeeding rooms in public buildings, said she was glad that the driver was arrested.
