For the first time, the elections returned two village heads, one representing only indigenous villagers and the other all villagers, including non-indigenous residents. Women newly elected to both positions, who were interviewed by the Sunday Morning Post, said they believed the 'lawful traditional rights and interests' of indigenous villagers should be protected.

Indigenous people are those who can trace their male ancestry to the New Territories up to 1898, when Britain gained a 99-year lease on the area.

The small-house policy - which some opponents describe as discriminating against women - was established more than 30 years ago, and allows all male indigenous villagers land on which to build a home in their village - whether they want to live in it or not. Many people living abroad have built homes they now rent out. The policy has been described by former legislator Christine Loh Kung-wai as an anachronism. Contrary to common belief, Ms Loh says, there is no age-old custom permitting rural villagers to build small houses.

But 73-year-old Leung Fuk-kwan, the newly elected non-indigenous village head of San Uk Tsuen in Yuen Long, said: 'The small-house policy should not be scrapped. Such rights are protected by the Basic Law.'

Mrs Leung, the oldest of the 17 newly elected women, vowed she would promote women's issues during her four-year term.

A mother of five, and now a grandmother, she said a flaw in the two-heads law forced her to contest the election for non-indigenous village head even though she is an indigenous villager. Under the two-heads election ordinance, the spouse of an indigenous villager cannot stand in her husband's village even if she is an indigenous villager. However, she may represent the village she lived in before she married.

Mrs Leung said the government's policy was discriminatory. 'On the one hand they are pushing for democracy in the village, but on the other they enacted ordinances which are worse than our traditional customs,' she said.

Mrs Leung took her case to the Equal Opportunities Commission and lost, but she vowed to continue campaigning for the law to be scrapped.

Mrs Leung was one of the six women indigenous representatives elected in 1999 in the last poll conducted by the Heung Yee Kuk, which represents indigenous villagers. Unlike the previous election, which she won 48-40, Mrs Leung edged out her opponent by just two votes.

Backing Mrs Leung's promotion of women's issues are Yu Lai-fan, 43, and the youngest winner in the twin-heads election, Debbie Chao Pui-yee, 24, both from Lamma Island. A university graduate from Brisbane, Ms Chao is one of the three female indigenous villagers to have won a seat in the indigenous sector. Her victory in Ko Long Village on North Lamma was uncontested. Ms Yu, an appointed a member of the Islands District Council, was elected to represent the non-indigenous villagers of Yung Shue Wan on Lamma.

The two-heads elections were held over a six-week period. There were 29 women candidates, of whom 25 contested non-indigenous seats.

The elections, which gave non-indigenous residents the right to elect village representatives for the first time as a result of a landmark court judgment, also attracted three expatriates for the first time.

Two of the three expatriate candidates won seats in the non-indigenous sector. They are Briton Andrew Brown, of San Shek Wan village on South Lantau, and Baron Van Voorsttot of Lo Tik Wan village on Lamma.

A row erupted days after Mr Brown was elected as the village's first expatriate head, when the indigenous village chief refused to co-operate with him.

Independent lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, who owns a house in San Shek Wan, accused the government of creating conflict among representatives under the controversial two-heads system.

Mrs Leung said conflict was bound to happen, adding that no two heads would work alike.

There are 707 villages in Hong Kong - 601 indigenous and 106 non-indigenous - with an estimated population of 54,000, of whom 24,000 are indigenous villagers.