Residents rally over rent rise

About 1,000 public housing residents took their anger to the street yesterday by petitioning in Mongkok, demanding their rents be slashed.

Waving banners and chanting slogans, the group gathered at the Macpherson Playground before marching along Nathan Road to Yau Ma Tei.

They then took their petition and a bowl of congee, representing belt-tightening, to the Central Government Offices in Central.

The residents were angry at the Housing Department's decision to increase their rents from September, by an average of about 20 per cent.

Last year, the department froze rents to reduce residents' burden during the economic turmoil.

Demonstrators said the economy had yet to improve.