Tree management in Hong Kong under fire after falling branch kills Indonesian domestic helper
Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said she had seen ‘no real action taken by the government’ despite seven years of pressing
An Indonesian domestic helper was killed by a falling tree branch on Tuesday, putting the spotlight again on long-unresolved questions about Hong Kong’s struggle with tree management and inability to improve safety through legislation.
Jumiati Supadi, 48, was struck on the head by the 4½-metre-long branch, weighing 30kg, as she was walking with her employer at around 7.30am along New Clear Water Bay Road in Sau Mau Ping. She was rushed to United Christian Hospital and certified dead soon after.
Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said she had seen “no real action taken by the government” to improve safety, despite pushing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to establish a tree management law since 2011, when Lam was development secretary.
“I brought it up seven years ago and made a lot of effort to pursue it. But so far, nothing has changed,” Chan said.
At a Legislative Council question-and-answer session in April, Lam had said the government was open to introducing tree management legislation and that the Housing Authority had studied practices in six overseas and mainland Chinese cities.