jestli
十
IN
4K+10D for advice
duplication REGISTRY No. 31 59 Kung Lok Road,
Apologies for pap
CES
14/3
FEB1974
Kwun Tong, Kowloon,
Hong Kong.
13th. January, 1974.
pl.
зна
প
17/1.
Tear Mu
the. Blake
I wish to draw the attention of interested
embers of
Parliament to the injustices suffered by poor people in Hong Kong, who have no representatives to take up their cases, no ways of appeal and no means of redness against any Government official who may abuse them.
In the case which follows, it should be mentioned that by law an official of the Government's Squatter Control Section is protected by low against all accusations false or fuine, in that he is not responsible for loss incurred by the car of premise demelished by him: the result is that dishonest officials may rod the victim with impunity. I have made a number of complaints about such robberies, but without exception have been told that the complainant was making unfounded allegations: all the people are wrong all the time under this bureaucracy called the Colony of Hong Kong. The story is told by the man himself, whom I have interviewed on several occasiona.
I am satisfied that he is neither a mental case, ner is he lying.
"I wish to inform you that my family consists of persons (7 children) residing at 68 Upper Tung Tau Village, Tuen Mun, Castle Peak, New Territories. My wife and I earned our living by farming.
"We felt our house was overcrowded, so I applied to the District Office, Yuen Long, for permission to hire a piece of Crown Land to build another hut for domestic purposes. I had a lease.
"On 11th. March, 1972, an area Officer named Lee of the District Office camelto my home and instructed my wife to demolish our hut. If she wanted to keep it, he said, she had to give him a bribe of $200. As I had a permit I refused the money and he left angrily.
"On 23rd. March, 1972, we were out and only our children were at home. On our return, we found our hut was demolished and our money ($850) inside a drawer had been stolen. We were told by the children that Mr. Lee and staff of the Squatter Control had come to carry out demolition on that day.
"I then went to the Tuen LongDistrict Office hoping to
negotiate with them for compensation. However they accused me of causing a disturbance and eventually I was taken by police to the Tolice Station, where I wag detained for 5 hours. Before going to the District Office I had reported the incident to the Police Station.
"Recause of this incident, both parties appeared before the Fanling Magistrate and the Tsuen Wan Magistrate twice, but without success in my claim for compensation. Afterwards I appealed to the Supreme Court, where I was advised to go to UMELCO for assistance. There I was interviewed by a Miss Cheng and later she advised me that she could not help me.
"On 29th. June I again approached the Tsuen Wan Magistracy and there a magistrate advised me to go to the Legal Aid Department for help, and he gave me $50. The matter was in the hands of the Legal Aid Department f several months and eventually they told me that my application had failed:
After this incident I was in great financial difficuly, and sold one of my sons for $12,000. I have been receiving Public Assist be from the Social Welfare Department ever since the incident. However I have had to borrow money from relatives and friends.
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"I now wish the District (ffice concerned to:
1. rebuild my hut the same size and shape as the one demolis1ed
2. refund me the stolen $057;
3. compensate me in cash for losses during demolition;
4. compensate me for loss of face because they arrested me and forced me
to receive treatment from the Castle Peak Mental Hospital;
5. ensure that such an incident will not occur again,
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