【明報專訊】The Incident
Hong Kong's treasured country parks figure increasingly large in arguments in the growingly polarised (兩極化) society.
The "country park flats" issue was once talk of the town, but controversy now centres around Tai Long Sai Wan (大浪西灣), a scenic place in Sai Kung. Occupying 17 hectares of land, most of which is privately owned, it is inhabited by around 100 villagers.
In July 2010 the media brought to light the construction of a country house in the picturesque (風景如畫的) place started by Simon Lo Lin-shing (魯連城, in circle), a local businessman. Though the house was being constructed on a residential site (住宅用地), which the tycoon had bought for $16 million, it was very close to Sai Kung East Country Park (西貢東郊野公園). Citizens thought that the construction was ruining the scenery, and it was later confirmed the project was not entirely legal.
The project caused a city-wide outcry, while commentators lambasted the government for its failure to protect country park enclaves (郊野公園不包括用地) from harm. In response it proposed to incorporate country park enclaves of Tai Long Sai Wan, together with those of Kam Shan (金山) and Yuen Tun (圓墩) places, in Hong Kong's country parks. The three draft maps concerned have been approved by the Chief Executive in Council (行政長官會同行政會議) and gazetted (刊憲). They will come into force towards the end of this month if the Legislative Council gives the green light to them.
But villagers are outraged by the plan. On November 15 some of them staged a protest at an Oxfam Trailwalker (樂施毅行者) event, blocking the only entrance to the village with a wire fence. Organisers of the event had no choice but to ask runners to detour (改道) and shorten the race by three kilometres.
And Lau Wong-fat, a functional- constituency lawmaker representing the powerful Heung Yee Kuk (鄉議局功能界別議員劉皇發), has decided to table to the Legislative Council the motion (his first motion in 22 years) that Tai Long Sai Wan be exempted from the incorporation plan.
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