XN000022-1986-11-19 — Page 31

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1986

HE SAID THE POLICY IMPLEMENTED SINCE SEPTEMBER 1982 WHEREBY VICTIMS OF SQUATTER AREA FIRES WERE REHOUSED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WOULD HAVE TO REMAIN UNCHANGED IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT AGAINST DELIBERATE FIRES IN URBAN SQUATTER AREAS.

+FOLLOWING A REVIEW IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR UNDERTAKEN BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO CHANGE TO THE CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE EMERGENCY REHOUSING OF NATURAL DISASTER VICTIMS,+ HE ADDED.

MR LIAO REITERATED THAT ACCOMMODATION IN HOUSING DEPARTMENT TRANSIT CENTRES WAS ALWAYS OFFERED TO VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS.

+ IN THE CASE OF FIRE VICTIMS, SUCH ACCOMMODATION IS MADE AVAILABLE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHERE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH CURRENT POLICY, THEY ARE TO BE PERMANENTLY REHOUSED.

+EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION IS USUALLY ALSO PROVIDED IN NEARBY COMMUNITY CENTRES ON TEMPORARY BASIS, HE SAID.

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MR LIAO SAID THAT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR, THERE HAD BEEN 33 FIRES INCLUDING THREE MAJOR ONES (TWO IN DIAMOND HILL AND ONE IN SAU MAU PING) IN URBAN AREAS.

+ IN THE CASE OF THE TWO DIAMOND HILL FIRES, PART OF BOTH FIRE SITES HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SCREENED FOR CLEARANCE AND MANY SQUATTERS LIVING IN THE AFFECTED AREAS WERE, IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, ELIGIBLE FOR URBAN REHOUSING.

+THEY WERE THEREFORE OFFERED ACCOMMODATION IN URBAN TRANSIT CENTRES,+ HE SAID.

AS REGARDS OTHER FIRE VICTIMS, INCLUDING THOSE LIVING OUTSIDE THE CLEARANCE AREA, MR LIAO SAID THEY WERE ELIGIBLE FOR NEW TERRITORIES REHOUSING ONLY.

HE SAID AS MANY OF THIS CATEGORY OF FIRE VICTIMS HAD DECLINED TRANSIT CENTRE ACCOMMODATION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, SPACE IN A COMMUNITY CENTRE HAD TO BE USED FOR TEMPORARY SHELTER.

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