HK$100 compensation, ‘justice served’: Hong Kong court awards 9 homeless men after ruling authorities failed in reasonable care over park clearance
- One of the claimants has died, however, after becoming infected with Covid-19 while waiting for court ruling
- Presiding adjudicator awards nominal damages as none of the men could provide sufficient evidence on value of lost items
Nine Hong Kong street sleepers have each won HK$100 (US$12.78) in compensation after a court ruled the government had failed to exercise reasonable care in handling their personal belongings in a 2019 clearance operation at a park.
The Small Claims Tribunal on Tuesday ruled in favour of the nine homeless men who sued authorities after their items were seized and disposed of without their consent during a joint enforcement action by police and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on December 21, 2019.
Arthur Lam Hei-wei, the presiding adjudicator, awarded nominal damages of HK$100 to each of the nine claimants, as none of them could provide sufficient evidence on the value of their possessions.
Not all of the nine can receive the payment, however, with one of them dying earlier this month after getting infected with Covid-19 while awaiting the court’s ruling.
The lawsuits initially involved 14 claimants seeking compensation ranging from HK$2,000 to HK$13,290 over the losses of personal items such as garments, mattresses, cash and travel documents.
Two claimants had since died, with four others losing contact with the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), a concern group supporting the street sleepers in the proceedings.
