Government too weak to fight villagers over small house policy

The weekend saw another outrage perpetrated by indigenous New Territories villagers in protest against government zoning plans.

A group of them used excavators and machetes to cut down a mangrove at Tai Ho Wan near Tung Chung, which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The villagers are concerned that once the area was formally zoned, it would restrict their ability to farm the land and more importantly their "right" to build a small house.

This is just another example of the low-level lawlessness that pervades the New Territories, and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Hong Kong. Nobody is likely to be prosecuted for this. It's also another example of the government's weakness in dealing with the problem. It set up a committee in 2002 to consider the matter, but when asked its progress will say it is "still studying" the issue.

It is Hong Kong governance at its worst, involving the interplay of politics, property and money.

The policy was set up in 1972 as a temporary measure to deal with the low level of housing in the New Territories. Indigenous male villagers who can trace their descent from a resident in 1898 of a recognised village are eligible.

Since the Lands Department does not keep a list of eligible villagers, village heads have authority to verify the credentials of applicants. Unsurprisingly this has given rise to corruption and irregularities.

It is now recognised that the supply of housing in the New Territories has radically improved since the 1970s, so there is no need for this policy.