Govt Land Task Force Accused Of 'brainwashing'

A parallel land supply task force set up by a group of activists has accused the government advisory group of trying to "brainwash" people into believing there is no space available for housing.

This is being done with an aim to push the development of country parks and reclamation as the only alternatives, the activists said.

The group, Citizens Task Force on Land Resources, on Friday published a joint report with the Liber research Community, saying they want to provide a full picture to the public as the options being presented by the official task force is "misleading and biased".

This comes as the government-appointed panel is due to launch the second phase of its public consultation on Saturday, which will involve large-scale public surveys.

Brian Wong of the Liber Research Community, who is a member of the citizens' task force, said the report tells people what the government is not saying.

He said the research shows that the city actually has some unused and neglected sites that could be developed. But they were not included as options in the public consultation, Wong said.

Wong also told RTHK's Wendy Wong that the government is exaggerating a predicted rise in the population to show future demand for housing.

The group's report listed four types of what it described as "neglected land" that is being deliberately omitted: brownfield sites, empty government land intended for village type developments; short-term tenancy sites; and plots designated for transitional use.

The group said the "neglected land" may yield up to 1,000 hectares.