rthk.hk - Express NewsToday, 1:49 PM
Connie Lau (left) says it's unacceptable that burial grounds overlap with conservation areas. Photo: RTHK
The Ombudsman has criticised the government for failing to properly manage burial grounds for indigenous villagers.
Multiple departments oversee 4,000 hectares of land at about 520 designated sites in the New Territories under the government’s hillside burial policy introduced in 1983. The policy aimed to uphold the traditional rights of indigenous villagers, and curb the problem of hillside burial of non-indigenous residents.
Ombudsman Connie Lau said many government officials try to evade their responsibility to address problems, such as unauthorised grave construction and trees being chopped down illegally.
Lau also said it is unacceptable that more than 800 hectares of permitted burial grounds overlap with conservation areas. “Both things cannot be compatible with each other,” she said. “Wherever there is burial ground, you need to take away trees and cement the ground.”
She called on the responsible departments to assess the size of the problem, and come up with effective enforcement strategies. She also called on the Lands Department to avoid designating or extending burial ground sites within conservation zones, to avoid causing more damage.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1228868-20151210.htm
