Workshop wrecked in land dispute

An elderly villager has spoken out against contractors who allegedly pulled down a workshop she had built beside her home without warning earlier this month.

Ho Mei-woon, who lives in Ki Lun village, Kwu Tung, northern New Territories, said she would lie in front of the bulldozer if they returned to tear down her house.

Ho, 78, said the workshop had been used for arts and crafts work. But all that was left now was a pile of iron sheets and some wooden posts, she said.

Ho said the land she had been renting for more than 50 years was sold to a new owner in March. In June, she was invited to renew her lease with a property management company.

She said that since 2012 she had been locked in a dispute with the then landlord, who wanted to increase the rent to HK$48,000 a year. Ho said she had previously paid between HK$400 to HK$700 a year to lease the land where her home stands.

Shirley Wong Ching-ping, one of Ho's daughters, said they had expressed their intention to continue renting the site and had asked for a survey to determine which parts of the land belonged to the new owner. But before the surveyors could come, the property management company took action on August 14 to tear down the workshop. "This is ridiculous … We are really worried they will come again," Wong said.