Rural Body Vows To Appeal Small House Ruling

Rural body, the Heung Yee Kuk, said on Tuesday that it's decided to appeal a court ruling over the government's small house policy.

The High Court ruled earlier this month that while Article 40 of the Basic Law protects the traditional rights of indigenous villagers to build small homes without paying land conversion fees, they can only do so on private land – and not on land obtained from the government through Private Treaty Grants (PTG) or land exchanges.

Nearly a thousand indigenous villagers took part in a meeting to discuss the ruling on Tuesday.

One rural leader suggested seeking Beijing's interpretation of the Basic Law or even organising a movement to fight for their rights.

But Kuk Chairman Kenneth Lau said his rural body plans to first seek justice through Hong Kong courts, vowing to fight for the rights of indigenous villagers at all costs.

Between 1972, when the small house policy was introduced, and June last year, more than 28,000 Free Building Licences were issued for villagers to construct a home of up to three storeys on their own private land.

Meanwhile, some 14,000 houses were built on government land via the Private Treaty Grant, or after land was exchanged with the government.