Street sleepers accuse the government of throwing away their belongings. Photo: AFP
About a dozen street sleepers have sued the government for throwing away their belongings.
They are asking for compensations of between HK$4,000 to HK$22,000 at the Small Claims Tribunal.
The Society for Community Organisation, which is assisting the claimants, said that during a clearance operation in Yau Ma Tei in July last year, policemen and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had thrown away the street sleepers' possessions, including their identification documents and beds.
The group also asks the administration to "stop harassing the homeless" and apologise to them.
Last week the City University of Hong Kong said its study found that there were more than 1,600 homeless people in Hong Kong last year, a 14 percent jump from 2013.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1234865-20160111.htm
