Split emerges among Hong Kong rural leaders over plan for a new party
Leaders of 15 of 27 rural committees meet to try to persuade supporters of party plan to drop the idea, fearing it will sow division
In what is seen as the worst split in Hong Kong’s rural force, leaders representing more than half of the rural committees in the New Territories have joined forces in a bid to block their fellow elders’ plan to form a new political party.
They accused the proponents of trying to hijack the Heung Yee Kuk – a government-recognised advisory body representing the interests of indigenous villagers – for their own political gain.
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Leaders of 15 of the 27 rural committees, mainly from the outlying islands and the southern New Territories, met on Wednesday to try to persuade the kuk leadership to stop the plan.
Kuk vice-chairman Daniel Lam Wai-keung chaired the meeting.
The meeting however got off to a tense start when about 20 supporters of a new party, led by Sheung Shui and Yuen Long rural elders Bowie Hau Chi-keung and Leung Fuk-yuen, forced their way into the venue, demanding an open debate with their opponents.
Some of them waved placards that read “New Territories people, support new party” and shouted slogans as they swamped the Sha Tin rural committee office where the meeting was held.