Latest news with #SanTinTechnopole
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Ex-Hong Kong social worker given community service for defrauding authorities
A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge arising from the San Tin Technopole project has been sentenced to community service for defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,138) in welfare benefits. Eastern Court on Thursday adopted a probation officer's recommendation to sentence Eddie Tse Sai-kit to 120 hours of unpaid community work after his lawyer said he 'recklessly' understated his earnings to obtain four months' worth of welfare allowances last year. A presentencing report cited the 68-year-old defendant as saying he had mistakenly believed that he only needed to report his average monthly income over the year in his application to the Social Welfare Department. Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai at one point questioned whether the court should accept the 68-year-old defendant's earlier guilty plea, before concluding that his failure to make an accurate declaration went beyond mere negligence and deserved criminal sanction. Cheung also noted that Tse had admitted wrongdoing at the first opportunity and was remorseful. Tse was arrested early this year while he was challenging an environmental impact assessment report that endorsed the development of a technology hub near the mainland Chinese border. Despite securing permission from the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings, Tse later dropped the case, citing 'widespread harassment and intimidation'. A pro-Beijing newspaper had also depicted Tse as an activist 'disrupting Hong Kong' by blindly opposing development under the guise of promoting environmental preservation. According to a prosecution case summary, Tse applied for an Old Age Living Allowance of HK$4,195 in June 2023 and claimed his monthly income was HK$5,000, which was below the limit of HK$10,710 at the time. He received a total of HK$80,460 from the department between July 2023 and December 2024. But the social worker failed to declare his earnings from Polytechnic University, where he had worked as a part-time fieldwork supervisor from January 2021 to May this year. Tse earned an additional monthly salary of between HK$6,000 and HK$19,200 from June to December last year for his work at the university, according to the summary. He also failed to notify the department that he had accepted a one-off 'honorarium' of HK$24,000 from the Social Workers Registration Board for serving on its disciplinary committee panel. An investigation concluded Tse would not have been entitled to the monthly allowance in July, August, November and December last year – an amount totalling HK$16,780 – if he had not concealed his income. Tse pleaded guilty earlier this month to four counts of fraud. Magistrate Cheung had ordered that Tse pay HK$16,780 in compensation to the department as part of his penalty. The defence said in a previous hearing that Tse had retired from social work after his arrest. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Retired Hong Kong social worker given community service for defrauding authorities
A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge arising from the San Tin Technopole project has been sentenced to community service for defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,138) in welfare benefits. Advertisement Eastern Court on Thursday adopted a probation officer's recommendation to sentence Eddie Tse Sai-kit to 120 hours of unpaid community work after his lawyer said he 'recklessly' understated his earnings to obtain four months' worth of old age living allowances last year. A presentencing report cited the 68-year-old defendant as saying he had mistakenly believed that he only needed to report his average monthly income over the year in his application to the Social Welfare Department. Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai at one point questioned whether the court should accept the 68-year-old defendant's earlier guilty plea , before finding that his failure to make an accurate declaration went beyond mere negligence and deserved criminal sanction. Cheung also noted that Tse had admitted wrongdoing at the first opportunity and was remorseful. Advertisement Tse was arrested early this year while he was challenging an environmental impact assessment report that endorsed the development of a technology hub near the mainland Chinese border
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to build more subsidised homes in I&T hub to meet middle-class demand
Hong Kong will build more subsidised homes in its new I&T hub near the border with mainland China to cater to the increasing needs of middle-class families and align with the city's strategy to attract top talent, the housing minister has said. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin also outlined her plans to make public flats in the Northern Metropolis, where the San Tin Technopole innovation and technology (I&T) hub is located, more liveable by integrating them into nature and old villages. 'The technopole is a base camp for new productivity and industry. It is also a base camp for talent, whose requirements, income, affordability and standards for their children's education, among other things, will be higher,' she said on Wednesday last week. 'I think the proportion of subsidised sale homes would be adjusted higher to align with the area's position.' Hongkongers who fulfil asset and income requirements are able to apply for subsidised sale flats. The technopole is a flagship project in the Northern Metropolis, which aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into an engine for economic growth and a housing hub with over 500,000 new flats, accommodating a population of about 2.5 million and around 650,000 jobs.
HKFP
24-06-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
‘Soft resistance' may arise during Hong Kong development, official warns
Hong Kong needs to guard against 'soft resistance,' which may emerge during the city's development process, a government official has warned. 'Soft resistance' may arise in areas such as land development, compensation for resettlement, and reclamation projects, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn told Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po in an interview published on Sunday. The development chief was among high-ranking officials who gave media interviews addressing 'soft resistance' and national security concerns in recent days, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law on Monday next week. Linn said the Development Bureau must 'think from the national security perspective' in its work and make 'timely clarifications' when misunderstandings about the government's development plans arise. She cited the San Tin Technopole development plan, which has drawn concerns from environmental groups over its impact on what they described as the largest remaining intact coastal wetland ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area. The tech hub's planning zone, which was expanded in May 2023 to over 600 hectares, involves wetlands, and thus the project would 'easily provoke opposition' from environmentalists, Linn said. 'The process of development may easily stir up different emotions and opposition. Some objections are reasonable, some arise from misunderstandings, and some are deliberately manufactured with ill intent. We have to handle it carefully,' the minister said. Linn went on to say that reclamation development in the city was often met with 'soft resistance,' citing the amendment to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, which was passed by the city's opposition-free legislature last month. The new law made it easier for the government to create new land through reclamation in the city's famed Victoria Harbour despite objections from environmental activists. Without naming a group, Linn said in Sunday's interview that some organisations had spread 'false images' online claiming that the government planned large-scale reclamation in Victoria Harbour. She said the government had issued a 'timely rebuttal,' adding that the claims were not misunderstandings but rather 'deliberate provocation.' In January, the Development Bureau issued a statement on social media to 'seriously refute misleading remarks by the Society for Protection of the Harbour.' The statement came hours after the environmental group held a press conference expressing opposition to the ordinance amendment. Its representatives, including harbour protection advocate Paul Zimmerman, questioned whether the legal amendment paved the way for large-scale reclamation and raised concerns that Victoria Harbour could become 'Victoria River.' The bureau rejected the group's claims, saying they were 'factually incorrect.' The bureau also accused the group of using 'fictitious images' to support its claims. In a press release issued by the Society for Protection of the Harbour in July, the group included an image of Victoria Harbour alongside the slogan 'Save Our Harbour' and the phrases 'Stop Reclamation' and 'Danger.' The same image was shown at the group's press conference in January. Since 2021, government officials have cited 'soft resistance' as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term. The phrase was repeatedly used by government officials in their recent media interviews leading up to the national security law anniversary. Last week, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said the government will strictly vet applications for event subsidies and performance venues, as well as exhibition content and library collections, to prevent 'soft resistance.' Monday, June 30, marks five years since the national security law came into effect. The legislation was inserted directly into the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, in 2020 following months-long pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong social worker who mounted judicial challenge charged with welfare fraud
A Hong Kong social worker who earlier launched a judicial challenge against the government's approval of an environmental study of the San Tin Technopole project has been charged with defrauding social welfare authorities to obtain more than HK$16,000 (US$2,049) in old age allowance. Advertisement Eddie Tse Sai-kit, 67, was accused of failing to declare that his income and net assets had exceeded the authorities' limit for making an application for old age living allowance. He allegedly obtained monthly aid of HK$4,195 four times from the Social Welfare Department between last June and January this year. Tse last year sought to overturn the decision of authorities to approve an environmental impact report on San Tin Technopole, saying it breached the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and lacked public consultation. But he withdrew the legal challenge earlier this year after he became a target of 'widespread harassment and intimidation', with his family suffering from mail threats and online doxxing. He was also refused legal aid to bring the legal action forward, despite the presiding judge agreeing that the case was of great public interest Advertisement
