No entry: villagers bar access to Lantau bay over environmental 'conspiracy'

Indigenous villagers are blocking access to a Lantau bay in protest at a "conspiracy" by green groups and the government to restrict development. They say it will remain off limits for three years.

The Post found a padlocked steel gate barring the path to Tai Ho Wan, known for its oyster-rich mudflats and horseshoe crabs. There were also warnings not to trespass and signs in English and Chinese, some using offensive language.

"From now on, you will not need to think about walking through our private land!" one banner read.

Another lashed out at environmental groups for "telling the government to zone our village as a conservation area".

Lantau resident Kevin Laurie asked why villagers had not been ordered to remove the blockade, which sits on the path where it runs through private land at Ngau Kwu Long, one of three villages that make up the San Heung rural community.

"The footpath is the only sensible and safe route [to the mudflats]," said the former police officer, who visits the area to study horseshoe crabs. "Tai Ho Wan belongs to the people of Hong Kong, not just the villagers."