Rural affairs body the Heung Yee Kuk is organising a rally next month to solicit support from urban residents for its fight to retain illegal housing structures in the New Territories.
At a kuk meeting yesterday, Leung Fuk-yuen, chairman of the Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee, said he expected 10,000 villagers would turn up for the May 23 rally in Chater Garden, Central, against a government crackdown on illegal structures which took effect this month.
'The assembly will serve as some civic education for other Hongkongers so they will sympathise with our situation,' said Leung, who leads a kuk taskforce against the crackdown.
As part of a new policy which was enacted on April 1, buildings officers will issue demolition notices for 'severe' breaches of building rules - including homes higher than the standard three storeys.
The crackdown has also seen the introduction of a register of homes with minor violations of building rules. These homes will be allowed to remain, subject to safety checks.
'We will have history professors explaining that it is our right, not a privilege, to build a small house,' said Leung, whose own illegal use of government land in a Yuen Long country park for his commercial recreation park business was highlighted by the Audit Commission last week.