Chinese People’s Liberation Army dock plan for Hong Kong’s Central harbourfront faces second judicial review bid
- Military berth has been in the making since 1994 when Britain and China struck an agreement
- Plan now faces court challenge from former student leader Lester Shum
A former Hong Kong student leader on Wednesday applied for a judicial review of the government’s decision to reclassify part of the Central waterfront as land for use by the Chinese military.
Lester Shum’s application to the High Court came after officials formally rezoned the site and said they planned to amend the law to offer “suitable legal protection” for a planned military dock before the area is handed over to the People’s Liberation Army.
The former Federation of Students leader complained that the city’s chief executive and council of top policy advisers had erred under the law by approving the zoning plan on January 22, because they had relied on an unlawful decision by the Town Planning Board in February 2014.
“There is a written promise made by the Hong Kong government to the Hong Kong people that the new Central harbourfront promenade is solely for public use,” Shum said outside court.
He added he was aggrieved because he walked along the promenade every week to relax, and occasionally stopped to sit, read, eat, meet friends or even stage a protest.