Probe Sai Wan work, opponents demand

Opponents of development at a Sai Kung beauty spot stepped up their action yesterday, lodging complaints with the Ombudsman in which they accuse the Lands Department of failing to stop the work.

They also plan to file complaints today to the police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, asking them to investigate whether any crime or corruption was involved in the work at Sai Wan, Tai Long Wan.

The moves come as the Town Planning Board is looking into imposing a temporary zoning on the site, where the owner plans to transform an abandoned village into a private retreat. Under the proposed development permission area, limits would be imposed on changes to the existing land use.

The group of 12 opponents presented a petition yesterday to the Ombudsman's office, asking for a direct investigation. But a spokeswoman for the office would not say whether this would be conducted. She said the office would tell the complainants within 10 days whether the case would be pursued.

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, a Sai Kung district councillor who is organising the complaints, said they were disappointed by the negligence of the Lands Department. 'We are very puzzled why the work on government land at Sai Wan was allowed to continue for a long time and no action was taken to stop it. It seems the department's officers turned a blind eye to the work and failed to enforce the laws.'

Two days ago, lands officials said 5,500 square metres of government land next to the private plots had also been excavated.

The Sai Wan work - including land excavation and formation of two ponds involving a total size of 1.2 hectares - on the 1.8 hectares bought by businessman Simon Lo Lin-shing was first reported by the South China Morning Post on July 16.