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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1974.
KOWLOON BAY SQUATTERS MOVE TO KWAI CHUNG
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ALL 150 SQUATTERS OF THE KOWLOON BAY AREA WHO WERE MADE HOMELESS BY THE FIRE ON AUGUST 21 HAVE TAKEN UP SITES AT SHEK YAM LICENSED AREA, IN KWAI CHUNG, WHERE THEY WILL REBUILD THEIR HOMES.
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ANOTHER 200 SQUATTERS LIVING IN NEARBY ILLEGAL HUTS WHICH ARE DUE TO BE CLEARED SHORTLY HAVE ALSO ACCEPTED THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT'S OFFER AND ARE PUTTING UP NEW HUTS THERE.
MORE SQUATTERS WILL BE GETTING SITES AT THE LICENSED AREA
AS THE SITE ALLOCATION EXCERCISE PROCEEDS.
THE SHEK YAM LICENSED AREA WAS BUILT AT A COST OF $560,000. ANOTHER $450,000 WILL BE SPENT TO PROVIDE WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES TO THE OCCUPANTS.
THE LICENSED AREA IS THE ONLY ONE WHICH IS STILL UNOCCUPIED AND CAN TAKE IN ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE.
SOME SQUATTERS AT KOWLOON BAY HAVE SHOUN SIGNS OF UNWILLINGNESS TO MOVE THERE CLAIMING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN LIVING IN KOWLOON BAY FOR YEARS AND THAT IT WAS UNFAIR FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO SHIFT THEM TO SUCH A REMOTE AREA.
IN REFUTING THEIR CLAIMS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT SAID THAT MOST OF THE ILLEGAL STRUCTURES IN KOULOON BAY HAD ONLY BEEN PUT UP RECENTLY AND THE MAJORITY OF THESE PEOPLE MANY OF WHOM ARRIVED FROM CHINA ONLY RECENTLY HAD TAKEN UP RESIDENCE THERE FOR JUST TWO OR THREE MONTHS.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID MOST OF THESE PEOPLE HAD BOUGHT THE HUTS FROM RACKETEERS IN THE HOPE OF GETTING PUBLIC HOUSING BY JUMPING THE LONG QUEUE OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR SUCH HOUSING.
+APART FROM THIS, SHEK YAM IS THE ONLY LICENSED AREA AVAILABLE AT PRESENT TO CATER FOR THE 1,150 SQUATTERS OF THE KOWLOON BAY AREA.
+THE LIMITED SITES STILL AVAILABLE AT KOWLOON BAY. LICENSED AREA STAGE ONE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO ACCOMMODATE THE LARGE NUMBER OF SQUATTERS AND MOREOVER THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMMITTED FOR OTHER SCHEDULED CLEARANCES. NEW LICENSED AREA SITES ON THE RECLAMATION WILL NOT BE READY UNTIL EARLY NEXT YEAR AND THEREFORE THE SQUATTERS' REQUEST FOR SITES IN KOULOON BAY IS OUT OF THE QUESTION.+
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