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Injunction won over ‘lawless’ New Territories land

Subsidiary of developer Henderson Land obtains court order to ban villagers from site earmarked for new town following occupation by protesters

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The founder of Mapopo Community Farm, Becky Au also said villagers and activists had vowed to stay and would seek legal ­advice.

A subsidiary of developer Henderson Land has succeeded in securing an interim court injunction against villagers and protesters over a piece of Fanling land, after complaining to a court that its property had been plunged into “a state of lawlessness”.

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The injunction, granted by the High Court to Best Galaxy, effectively bans people from entering or occupying the piece of 5,500 sq ft land in Ma Shi Po that is owned by the subsidiary.

The court, hearing the urgent application outside normal procedural hours, also ordered people not to interfere with the subsidiary’s rights to the land and not obstruct Ma Sik Road, the sole street leading to the site.

After obtaining the injunction, solicitor Samuel Luk Hok-hing said: “We would inform relevant people with a written notice, hoping they would leave the location voluntarily as soon as possible.”

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Luk said further action was to be discussed with the subsidiary, but it was understood the lawyers would get the court documents – required to be put up at the site as a condition of the injunction – certified today.

Becky Au Hei-man, daughter of villager Au Lau-kan who was a previous tenant of the area, said she was angry about the injunction and the developer’s legal bid to repossess the land for development as part of a new town project in the New Territories.

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