Grisly Hong Kong murders spark banker backlash

The alleged murder of two young Indonesian women in Hong Kong by a British expatriate has sparked a backlash against wealthy Western bankers accused of treating the financial hub as their own personal playground. The victims were found mutilated in 29-year-old Rurik Jutting’s upmarket apartment in Wanchai, streets away from the neon-lit bars of the neighbourhood’s famous red-light district — popular with expats and tourists at all hours. Jutting was a regular on the strip. The reported discovery of sex toys and cocaine in his apartment have also added to the debauched portrayal of the former Bank of America Merrill Lynch securities trader.

Just like bankers anywhere, they earn top dollar without having many social responsibilities in Hong Kong. Their disposable income and immoral lifestyle creates a demand for high-end drugs and prostitution.

C.H. Lo, a Hong Kong jeweller

English and Chinese language social media in Hong Kong has lit up with criticism of the behaviour of some Westerners in the wake of the killings. With ongoing pro-democracy protests in the city spurred on by its increasing wealth disparity, there are also those who see well-paid bankers as part of that wider problem. Hong Kong has one of the largest wealth gaps in the developed world, and a fifth of the population lives in poverty, according to charity Feeding Hong Kong. The city offers an intoxicating new world for many young Westerners, but some are unable to handle the adjustment, said a Hong Kong banker who did not want to be named.

It’s easy for the dorky kid in high school to suddenly find himself in the cool crowd at the hottest nightclub, and to keep this high — emotional as well as chemical — he’s more than willing to throw his inflated disposable income at whoever can keep it going,

A Hong Kong banker

Asia-Pacific rurik jutting