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More than 200 residents from the Yan Yi New Village temporary resite arca, yesterday demonstrated in the concourse outside City Hall, in support of their demands for early final resettlement.
They decided to continue the demonstration until a promise was made for an early move.
However, six representatives from the group later went alone to Government House to hand in a protest note, claiming a "breach of faith" by the Resettlement Department.
The group's leader, Mr Tam Kwai-ping, read a letter to a, Government House official, asking that Government give a positive reply to their demand.
The representatives said the, : 200 residents would meet again this morning to decide whether they will "march in force" to Government House.
The demonstrators, mostly women and children, including many with babies in their arms and on their backs. first staged their demonstration outside the headquarters
of the
• Resettlement Department in Middle Road, Kowloon. They travelled in three tourist buses.
They then returned to rejoin the others outside the City Hall where they stayed until carly this morning. They will vote. later today on whether to demonstrate again.
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steps are being taken to put that right,"Sir Paul added.
He emphasised that the group was here in an unofficial capacity, although they had the blessing of the Joint Services.
He said the role of the Forces was to create confidence,
"Certainly if they were removed from Hongkong there would be a great drop in the climate of confidence, and in prosperity," he said.
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Britain's present level of military involvement in Hongkong today was ideal for morale and internal security.
He said modern forces since World War II needed to be flexible to meet the varying situations.
"The weapons here are not the most modern. but equipment is right for the job – not fighter planes and bombers, but helicopters which play such a light role," Sir Paul said.
The parliamentarians were impressed by the Forces'C involvement in youth
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The group displayed streamers and posters calling for early resettlement. One poster told Mr Ian Lightbody. the Commissioner for Resettlement, who is away on leave, that "you are light with your promise."
The residents had the support of about 20 members of the Hongkong Federation of Students who wrote the propaganda,
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During their two-hour sit-in outside the building, six representatives met Mr Michael Sze, the Administrative Officer in charge of Squatter Control.
After 45 minutes of discussion, the demonstrators said they had not achieved what they wanted and they then marched to present a petition at Government House.
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There are about 2,000 squatters living in 400 huts in Yan Yi New Village, n licensed resite area set up in 1968. The "villagers" claimed that their original squatter huts were pulled down from the hillside and roof-tops to make way for development. Some of them boat people whose dilapidated houseboats moved away for reclamation. A spokesman for Resettlement Department reiterated that there were no the estates living units in available because of the priority being given to squatters living in dangerous arcas following the June rainstorms.
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"At the moment, all flats have been allocated," the spokesman said.
The villagers were promised final resettlement some time in 1973, when stage three of the Sau Mau Ping estates would be completed.
A Government spokesman said late yesterday that the petition handed in Government House would be considered.
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However, he said the Resettlement Department, had not given any promise about final resettlement four years ago.
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