TNAG-0743-FCO40-947-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 155

COP

布政司署 BY BAG

香港下亞畢道

ENTIAL

AKK 020/1.

*** OUR REF.:

SCR 6/3181/51

REGU

* Your Ref.:

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

51

17 October 1978

J THOMPSON ESQ MBE

INDEX

PA

Nolar

HONG KONG & GENERAL DEPARTMENT

FCO

Dear John,

PROBLEMS WITH SHEK HA COMMUNE

PAGIC BY

Act

PA

من المحمة

As you know, Shek Ha is one of the communes which border Hong Kong. Its land lies on the north- east side of Deep Bay, just across the mouth of the Shum Chun river. There have always been problems with it arising from the fact that traditionally some families (the Chius and the Poons) who are now members of the commune have farmed land in the New Territories, principally oyster beds, fish-ponds and kei-wais (shallow fish-water shrimp ponds).

2.

The latest problem with the commune arose when the New Territories Administration (N T A) discovered that members of the commune were constructing a bund across the mouth of a creek which runs into the Shum Chun river. Work on this bund part of a new fish pond in an area where there are disputes about ownership had started at about 11.00 a.m. on 28 September. Since this is a remote area, difficult of access, it was sometime before reports came back. When David Akers-Jones told me about it early in the afternoon of 29 September the bund was rapidly nearing completion and there was a considerable danger of huts in the village of Tam Kon Chau, upstream on the creek, being flooded. Typhoon Lola was in the offing.

3.

I immediately rang Tan Kan of NCNA and asked him to get an urgent message back to the relevant authorities to say that work on the bund should be suspended. He said he would do what he could. On 30 September David Akers-Jones learned that work had stopped at about 4 p.m. on 29 September, to the amazement of those on the Hong Kong side near the bund.

CONFIDENTIAL

-/2.