A 34-year-old man was arrested at a West Coast construction site for criminal trespass on Tuesday.

This after he had allegedly climbed up a crane and refused to return to the ground unless his employers gave him an advance on his wages. Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that the man had apparently gambled away his money and threatened to kill himself by jumping down from the eight-storey high crane.

Responding to queries, the police said they received a call at about 8.40am on Tuesday "requesting for assistance" at a construction site along West Coast Crescent. "Upon police arrival, a 34-year-old man was found sitting on top of a construction crane," said a spokesman. "The man subsequently came down from the crane and was arrested for criminal trespass. Police investigations are ongoing."

The location where the incident occurred is the worksite for a residential development called Seahill. The project is developed by Boo Han Holdings, which is linked to property giant Far East Organization. It is not clear is the man works for either company.