The street sleepers of Sham Shui Po are suing the government, claiming its staff threw away their belongings without warning during a clean-up operation.
Ten of the homeless people affected filed individual cases against the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene with the Small Claims Tribunal yesterday. They are demanding compensation ranging from HK$3,000 to HK$10,280 for their belongings and the shock of having their few worldly goods snatched from them.
Ng Wai-tung, of the Society for Community Organisation, believes it is the first time street sleepers have sued the government in court for the wrongful disposal of their belongings.
The society, which helped the group file their claims, says another 20 people also lost their belongings in the raid on February 15.
Some of the victims claim they were asleep under the Tung Chau Street flyover when police and staff from the environmental hygiene department arrived, roused them from their slumber and cleared their belongings in front of them.
The blankets, identity cards, travel permits, clothes, phones and other items were thrown into a pile and they were not allowed to retrieve their things. Their belongings were then all removed and thrown away.
