Police cordon off a section of Ma Tau Wai Road to allow workers to undertake structural reinforcement yesterday. Edmond Tang

Some balk at relocating in interim housing, citing distance

HONG KONG: Anxiety remains high among those who now look out upon the rubble of the building at 45 Ma Tau Wai Road that crashed down Friday, killing four people and injuring two.

The collapse of "block J" of the unit left adjacent buildings unstable and they were evacuated.

Some buildings, however, have been declared safe - and it is residents of those structures who fear they may be living on borrowed time.

Mr Chan who lives at 45B Ma Tau Wai Road in To Kwa Wan is one who has serious doubts. "We see cracks on the walls. The structure has obviously been damaged and is no longer suitable for living. I hope the government will consider helping us or we might end up having rubble for our coffins," he said.

Twenty-one displaced families from buildings surrounding - from blocks "E-G" have already been relocated, from billets at the Holy Carpenter Church Community Centre in Hung Hom to temporary lodgings on the Shek Lei (II) Estate in Kwai Chung. Others had found temporary shelter at the Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre.

The relocations to temporary homes have been fraught with difficulties. Some 30 other residents who were forced out of their homes have no intention of moving from their neighborhoods as it is so near to the holiday season.

Blocks E-G of number 45 and some blocks of number 49 Ma Tau Wai Road have been sealed off by the Building Department, and the buildings are pending structural reinforcement. Blocks A-D are considered safe and tenants continue to occupy them.

Some residents are reluctant to shift to the interim housing, claiming it is too far away.

They refuse to move to Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre either. "It is so inconvenient to live there. I prefer to relocate in the same district," a man surnamed Ng said. "I would rather live in So Uk Estate as it is near our district and I wish to have decent accommodation for the Chinese New Year."

Concern about the safety of interim housing may be one of reasons for people's reluctance to move. Shek Lei (II) Estate is over forty years old. After what's already happened to some of these people, moving to the Shek Lei appears an unattractive alternative.

The Housing Department clarified that it had carried out an investigation for the interim housing and transit center in Shek Lei (II) Estate to determine building conditions. Findings of a 2008 survey revealed that the structures of the buildings were safe but that they needed repair, the spokesman said.

Peter K.K. Wong, chairman of the Kowloon City District Council, said at the Holy Carpenter Church Community Centre that the interim housing arrangement is voluntary and people have the right to refuse.

"The Home Affairs Department, Social Welfare Department and other departments are joining hands to help people in every possible way. We will hold a meeting to address the problems," he stressed.

Kowloon City District Officer Winky So added that the government wants to provide more options for the affected residents.

"For those who do not want to move to Shek Lei Estate, they could temporarily live in the Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre. We try to minimize the influence on people.

"We will pass their requests to responsible department for follow-ups. The government is hoping to meet their needs, utilizing social resources," she said.

Lawmaker Priscilla Leung admitted that some residents displaced by the sudden destruction of their homes were dissatisfied with the government's offer of relocation with many preferring to stay in their familiar locale.

Leung encouraged the administration to adapt a quick fix to an unexpected disaster like this as the number of affected people is limited. "I urge the Housing Authority to take special measures to solve their problems such as to speed up their applications of accommodation in public rental housing," Leung said.

"People are worried that interim housing would be their permanent accommodation. Therefore, some people, including some South-Asians, would rather be staying in the community center," Leung explained.

Mr Ko, among those who agreed to move into the interim housing, said that it is way better than living in the community center as it has all the basic appliances people need.

The units are too small for a family of four. The people are unfamiliar with the neighborhood and they want to get back to To Kwa Wan as soon as possible, Ko said.

(HK Edition 02/02/2010 page1)