envoyer par mailTai Kok Tsui building declared safe
The papers (7.2) reported prominently a « block collapse » scare in Tai Kok Tsui when a crack on the outer wall of a 34-year-old 11-storey building in Oak Street was found to have widened into a 30-cm gap that stretched from the fourth floor to the roof, sending some of its residents fleeing from their homes fearing that it might topple.
While part of the street was sealed off, officers from the Buildings Department, however, declared the building structurally safe after inspection and that there was no need to evict the residents who believed that the damage was caused by the piling work at an adjacent construction site.
BD senior building surveyor Clarice Yu reassured residents that the piling contractor had been ordered to monitor the situation closely but added that there were no grounds for calling a halt to the work.
Chairman of the owners’ incorporation of the block, a Mr Yuen, complained that the inspection carried out by the BD was not very thorough, claiming that the department had failed to see the many new cracks inside the flats. He urged the BD to conduct a more comprehensive check.
Professional surveyors who inspected the site, including the HK Institution of Engineers’ former chairman Greg Wong and member Lau Chi-kin as well as Ho Kui-yip of the HK Institute of Surveyors, agreed that the building had no immediate danger of collapse.
Mr Ho, however, believed that the widening of the gap was obviously connected with the piling work. He suggested that the piling work should be suspended for checking the stability of the site’s foundation.
Meanwhile, the papers (7.2) widely reported that Secretary for Development Carrie Lam held that it was necessary to review the role of the URA and the policy on urban redevelopment, saying that a « bottom up » (由下而上) mode could be considered - residents discussed the matter first before inviting the URA to participate.
Speaking on the first of a four-part series of a radio programme to discuss urban renewal projects with the public, Mrs Lam admitted that confidentiality was a matter of importance for fear that if the list of blocks earmarked for redevelopment was leaked, it might result in abuse.
She stressed that if the new mode was adopted, the Government would ensure that the system would not be abused.
Facebook and forum criticised as political cosmetics
The opening of a Facebook account and holding of an online forum by Secretary for Transporte and Housing Eva Cheng last Saturday was blasted by the anti-XRL group as « mere political cosmetics » for choosing the wrong time, themes, speakers and location, several papers in moderate coverage reported today.
In an open forum yesterday to review the Express Rail Link row, Chan King-fai, a core member of the Post-80s Anti-Express Railway Group, said the incident had exposed the Government’s lack of sincerity in communicating with the public, aiming at counting sufficient votes for passing a resolution swiftly in the Legislature.
The SCMP reported that the anti-XRL group planned to strike again on the third day of the Lunar New Year when Government officials prayed and picked fortune sticks at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin.
Mr Chan said they should no longer place their future in the Government’s hands, urging HK people to fight for their own fortune.
The paper said the action might add another embarrassment to the authorities after last Saturday’s posting on facebook by the THB in an attempt to converse with young people.
Many papers yesterday reported widely criticisms against STH Eva Cheng for signing up for social networking site Facebook for just three hours at the off-peak hours of Saturday morning. Some papers played up that it was just a political show while the HK Daily News, in its front-page lead headlines, said it was a self-made public relations disaster.
The papers reported that Ms Cheng only said hello to those who wrote to her on Facebook after seeing a post which said she had been ignoring users. A total of 2,065 messages had been posted by the end of the exercise, but few users got any feedback.
After the account was closed to new messages, US for TH Yau Shing-mu wrote in the net that they would give their responses from next week on.
’CE may not vote in by-elections’
The SCMP in its front-page lead quoted Chief Executive Donald Tsang as saying in an interview with the paper that he had been exercising his right to vote all his life, but on the so-called « referendum » triggered by the resignation of five pan-democratic legislators, he had to think hard on what he needed to do and he had not made up his mind yet.
Describing LSD’s and the Civic Party’s exercise as a deliberately engineered « drama », Mr Tsang said it needed to be understood very carefully.
The CE also warned against becoming too « dogmatic » when deciding if the FCs should be kept beyond 2020, the paper reported. He said he had to be pragmatic and could not take sides over whether to abolish the FC seats in 2020 or retain them indefinitely because either way he would « sacrifice » chances to reach a consensus for the 2012 electoral reform.
He added that he would be willing to negotiate although the pace and scope for democratisation laid down by Beijing in 2007 would not leave much leeway.
Szeto Wah says he’ll fight lung cancer optimistically
The papers today and over the weekend reported in good coverage that HK Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China chairman Szeto Wah had late-stage lung cancer and he said he would fight the illness with an optimistic attitude.
Reports noted that Savantas Policy Institute’s Regina Ip called on the SARG to help him obtain his Home Visit Permit while DAB’s chairman Tam Yiu-chung said his party could reflect his wishes to the Mainland.
However, Mr Szeto said their words were hypocritical, questioning why they had not spoken for him over the past 20 years when he did not have the permit.
The alliance’s Richard Tsoi said the group’s structure was stable and no matter who chaired the alliance, it would continue to demand for the June 4 incident be vindicated.
Seven injured as truck mounts pavement
The papers in good coverage, with many in their inside-page leads, reported that pedestrians had narrowly escaped death when a truck ran onto the pavement in Sham Shui Po yesterday, leaving seven people injured, one in critical condition.
Reports noted that the unladen truck was travelling southbound along Shek Kip Mei Street when it suddenly lost control around 1pm. It hit a road sign, crossed the street and mounted the pavement on the other side.
The 60-year-old male driver, who passed a breath test, blamed the accident on faulty brakes.
Commercial Vehicle Driving Instructors Association’s Cheng Cho-kwong said poor driving attitude coupled with the wet weather and road design were factors behind the accident.
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