RARELY ARE THE flaws of a community laid out so starkly as with Tin Shui Wai North. But that's just what's happening as the Coroner's Court investigates how new immigrant mother Kim Shuk-ying and her two young daughters were chopped to death in a domestic dispute just over a year ago.
The so-called Tin Heng Estate killings - Kim sought help from police just hours before she and Li Tsz-wan, five, and Li Yin-li, six, were killed - highlighted the terrible inadequacies in the remote new town. Tucked in the northwest New Territories, it's notorious for high rates of domestic violence, juvenile delinquency and suicide. Tin Shui Wai North pays dearly for its lack of social services, public facilities and job opportunities.
How did it get into such a state? Many blame the depressed environment on bureaucratic indifference. One year on, is the lot of Tin Shui Wai residents any better? Not much, according to former social worker Bottle Shiu Ka-chun. A vocal critic, he served on the frontlines in Tin Shui Wai for nearly four years, but eventually resigned out of frustration. He cites as an example how officials rejected his proposal to produce a booklet, 99 Things We Love About Tin Shui Wai. 'That left me wondering what's going on with these people,' says Shiu, who is now pursuing a doctorate. 'I was trying to enhance community spirit with the booklet, unearthing the beauty in a much-maligned district. What's wrong with putting social and cultural capital to good use?'
Social service centres in Tin Shui Wai North remain understaffed. The entire district of 89,000 people is served by about 50 social workers. Troubled residents have to make appointments weeks in advance to get help.
'Usually it's an hour and a half into a meeting before we can get clients to stop the crying and quarrelling and get to their issues,' Shiu says. 'And by then, the next group is knocking at your door. But all frontline social workers can do is provide a moment of comfort. We can't change government policies, which are the root of the problem.'
In November last year, a report by an independent panel set up to investigate the provision of family services in Tin Shui Wai said it was 'astonished to see such [a] poor environment' in the area. In its review, the panel also criticised the town planning and development as 'poor' and 'unacceptable'.
