HONG KONG: Several Choi Yuen Tsuen villagers have built a 100-square foot mini-farm in front of the Legislative Council. By displaying their daily farming life that is threatened with displacement by a proposed railway project, they hope to express their objections to the high-speed rail link project two days before its HK$66.9 million budget is to be discussed in the Legislative Council Finance Committee.

A villager named Ah Chuk, carrying her farm tools, demonstrated digging, planting, and irrigating. The vegetables she planted on the plot of land were brought from their village, she said. "For more than 50 years, we Choi Yuen Tsuen villagers have been living like this," said Ko Chun-heung, chairman of the Concern Group of Choi Yuen Tsuen in Shek Kong on the Site Selection for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

She said the action is to let the government and lawmakers know the villagers' life, as the latter's requirement of "no moving, no clearing" was not accepted.

The farmland will be displayed outside the Legislative Council until tomorrow. At that time, the Finance Committee will hold a meeting to discuss the budget of the rail link. If the budget is approved, Choi Yuen Tsuen will eventually face clearing next October.

The government has provided a special ex-gratia rehousing package to assist affected households to meet their rehousing needs. The Transport and Housing Bureau said about 80 percent of the affected Choi Yuen Tsuen households have already registered to consider the proposed package since its announcement in mid-October.

The funding of the express rail link project was approved by the Legislative Council Public Works Subcommittee early this month.

(HK Edition 12/17/2009 page1)