Villager condemns 'Jurassic Park' plan
Government policy of making villages part of conservation areas is leaving humans out of the picture, warns rural representative
Indigenous villagers living beside Plover Cove Country Park in the northeastern New Territories have strongly opposed proposals to incorporate their private land into the park, saying it is neither fair nor sensible.
Leading the opposition is Tsang Yuk-on, the representative of Mui Tsz Lam village.
"There must be a reason why the British colonial officials left us alone when drawing up the country park boundary," he said.
Tsang was responding to proposals by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to incorporate fully or partly five of 11 enclaves into the park. These enclaves, surrounded by or jutting into the park, include Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kap Tong, which are traditional Hakka villages now sparsely inhabited or abandoned.
Tsang said conservation policy was in a mess and placed too much emphasis on protecting animal species at the expense of humans. "What is the point if you are able to make a Jurassic Park but no human being exists and survives?" he asked.
Urging officials to drop their proposals, Tsang said the government should at least come up with land-swap or relocation options for villagers.