Villagers facing relocation deadline march to Hong Kong government headquarters

Residents of Hong Shui Kiu district left the Admiralty Joint Center at around 11am for the Legislative Council building in Tamara. According to an earlier statement, some were unhappy that they were not entitled to compensation after unwittingly renting illegal buildings for the past 35 years.

They said the government ordered them to leave their homes by December 6 as part of Hong Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen’s zoning plan.

“I feel the government has gone back on its word,” said villager Pan Jing, 51. “They should better understand how difficult it is for us to obtain documents obtained a long time ago.”

Pang, who works in the service sector and has lived in Yik Yuen Tsuen village since 2011, said she signed a contract with the Land Department in May to confirm that she was eligible to move into public housing and that her son could get a separate apartment in quality is good.

But after two months, she was asked to provide proof that she had lived at her address since at least 2016, Pang said. She had to visit hospitals, schools and welfare offices several times to find the right documents, which was especially difficult as she was recovering from surgery, she added.