Residents hold up placards decrying the building of refuse facilities on reclaimed land near their estate. Photo: Elson Li
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3214891/hong-kong-protests-city-marks-first-authorised-rally-3-years-80-homeowners-march-against-tseung-kwan Politics
Hong Kong marks first authorised protest in 3 years as 80 homeowners march against Tseung Kwan O reclamation plan
- But demonstrators have to adhere to strict police rules, such as wearing numbered tags around necks and not covering faces
- Organisers say about 80 out of 100 tags prepared were handed out; 300 residents had initially signed up to march
Protesters march in wet weather in Tseung Kwan O to voice their opposition against reclamation plans and the building of refuse facilities on such land. Photo: Elson Li
The first authorised protest in Hong Kong in three years began with a heavy police presence in the drizzle on Sunday, with about 80 Tseung Kwan O homeowners wearing numbered badges around their necks, marching against a reclamation plan.
The badges were an unprecedented requirement by the force. Among the other rules were a 100-person limit, a ban on face masks, and a police check of banners and leaflets, which some protesters regarded as “unreasonable”.
“Protect our ocean, no more reclamation at Tseung Kwan O,” residents carrying banners chanted as they marched along a cordoned-off route at around Sunday noon under close watch by about 50 officers.
Police estimated that about 65 people joined the protest, while organisers put the turnout at 80.
The march started after organisers distributed numbered tags to participants – all without masks – on a first-come-first-served basis at the park near Tiu Keng Leng Sports Centre.
Police ushered marchers along the way in the rain, signalling for marshals to adjust tapes to make way for pedestrians and requesting those without tags, including journalists who tried to interview protesters, to stay out of the cordoned-off route.
However, the moving tape snapped a few times throughout the march. The marshals struggled to collect the broken pieces and prepare a new one before being warned by police.
“I am really saddened by this arrangement … In today’s Hong Kong, going on a protest is such a difficult task,” Lam Wo-ping, a 72-year-old retiree who has lived in the district for almost two decades, told the Post in tears.
“Many people in the neighbourhood knew about the protest, but they dared not join, as they were scared of being arrested or sued, given that there were so many restrictions.”
Peter Chan, a resident of Ocean Shores, which is the closest estate to the proposed reclamation area, also expressed disappointment at the arrangements. He said he wished the government would loosen the restrictions in the future.
“It is our freedom to rally and protest,” said the 72-year-old retiree. “What’s the point of imposing so many restrictions, when you approved of it in the first place?”
James Ockenden, a 49-year-old British journalist who has lived in the city for two decades, brought his three young children to the protest, despite not living in the district. He said the stringent restrictions were effectively a new clampdown on protests.
“[The numbered badges] are humiliating … I really don’t want to see that,” he said. Police had cited risks of criminals infiltrating the event and instigating illegal and violent acts.
The rally was allowed to take place along a cordoned-off route. Photo: Elson Li
About 80 of the 100 numbered tags were handed out, according to Cyrus Chan Chin-chun, one of the organisers and a member of the Concern Group For Tseung Kwan O People’s Livelihood. He said many protesters had “a very unhappy experience”.
“The turnout is not very satisfactory,” he said, as more than 300 residents initially applied to join the rally. He linked it to police’s stringent restrictions, which he regarded as “unnecessary”.
“I hope those are just one-off conditions and will not become a regular practice in the future … Hongkongers are definitely capable of holding peaceful assemblies.”
He added that all publications, including banners, leaflets and notices issued to residents, were scrutinised by police, and they were warned against wearing black clothes and chanting political slogans.
The participants were mostly homeowners of Metro Town, a private residential development on top of the MTR station in Tiu Keng Leng, and residents from nearby residences, including Bauhinia Garden, Beverly Garden, Ocean Shores and Lohas Park.
They walked from Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre to the south landing steps at the seaside, where the proposed reclamation area could be seen.
Holding banners which said “No concrete plant, no refuse collection point!”, marchers decried the building of six “obnoxious” facilities on the reclaimed land, which they said would be detrimental to their health and the environment.
“We are not making political demands. This is about our health and livelihood,” said Winnie Chiu Po-ying, a teacher who recently moved into Lohas Park.
“We simply wish the government could provide more platforms for us to voice our concerns, aside from those low profile and short consultations,” the woman in her 50s said.
“We live very close to the area. Those facilities will cause air pollution and we may fall sick after inhaling contaminated air,” said Sarah Lau Tin-yan, a 12-year-old girl who joined the protest with her mother, adding that she found the restrictions acceptable.
In response to the protest, the Development Bureau on Sunday said it would “study the possibility of reducing the scale of reclamation by slope-cutting” and the feasibility of relocating parts of the facilities into caverns.
“We will also ensure that the design, facade and operations of the six facilities are not obtrusive and will not be a nuisance to the community,” a spokesman said.
He added that they had invited residents to share their views at district council meetings and consultation sessions.
In January, the government introduced a plan to build six public facilities, including a concrete plant and a refuse station on Area 132, a new patch of reclaimed land southwest of Tseung Kwan O, which is 1km away from the closest residence, triggering a public outcry.
The march was the first large-scale protest since 2020 and came on the heels of the lifting of all Covid-19 curbs earlier this year.
Hong Kong last saw a protest on February 4, when a handful of environmental activists protested against the illegal operation of a concrete plant in Yau Tong.
According to the Public Order Ordinance, individuals must notify police if they intend to hold a public procession of more than 30 people.