ON this day 25 years ago: BRITISH Labour Members of Parliament Daniel Jones and Brian Walden visited the squatter area of Kowloon Tsai, the third day of their 10-day familiarisation tour of Hong Kong.
The visiting MPs said conditions for squatters were intolerable and appalling by Western standards. Mr Jones added he was amazed when people there said they wanted to live in the squatter area because of its close proximity to their workplace.
Mr Walden, who made a number of private inspections to resettlement estates, said the first types of resettlement accommodation were equally as appalling as some of the squatter homes but the quality of the estates had improved with development.
In some older resettlement estates such as the Tai Hang Tung estate, up to 10 people were living in one room. Progression had been made in the later type of Mark Five estate in Tsz Wan Shan with about five people housed in an area about one and half times larger than that found in the older estate.
Mr Jones said general standards, especially sanitation, improved with each type of block and he noticed a marked difference in the many homes where residents took a personal pride. FIVE police constables escorting a squatter demolition squad in the Tsz Wan Shan resettlement estate, were injured by flying bottles in a clash with about 100 employees of a pro-communist China products store and their leftist supporters.
When the police arrived at the Chung Shing China Products Store, employees formed a barrier to prevent them removing the awnings. Mao songs were sung and slogans chanted. The employees also blared martial music over loudspeakers.
