Oxfam Trailwalker hiking event blocked by village protest
Runners in Trailwalker fundraiser find they have to turn back as the route is hastily diverted
Thousands of charity hikers found themselves running into an unexpected dead end just half an hour after this year's Oxfam Trailwalker kicked off yesterday.
About 100 residents of Sai Wan village in east Sai Kung and their supporters blocked off part of the hiking path leading into the village, where the first checkpoint for the 4,800 trailwalkers was set up, forcing Oxfam to hurriedly change the route for the event.
Villagers claimed part of the blocked path was private and they were closing it in protest against the government's plan to include the picturesque enclave in the country park system.
But Oxfam complained that they were not told of the change of plan.
The 100-kilometre Trailwalker hike winds through the east-west MacLehose Trail across the whole Kowloon peninsula, with nine checkpoints dotted along the route.
With Sai Wan village now inaccessible, the organiser had to inform all racers to bypass it and head directly to the second checkpoint.