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Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Dr Hon Lam Tai-fai in the Legislative Council today (May 18):
Question:
Some residents of the Frontier Closed Area ("FCA"), such as Sha Tau Kok, etc. have relayed to me that the Government has been slow in reducing the coverage of FCA and has not implemented any development plan, and as a result, the precious land resources in Hong Kong have not been fully utilised. They have also pointed out that as FCA residents have all along found it very inconvenient to travel in and out of FCA and there is little flow of people in the areas around FCA, the economy in the area is persistently sluggish and employment opportunities are lacking. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that the Government plans to reduce, by the end of 2012, the coverage of FCA from the current area of about 2 800 hectares to about 400 hectares, whether the authorities will formulate plans for the future development of the area so as to facilitate economic activities such as industrial and commercial developments, as well as tourism, etc there; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) what factors the authorities will consider in deciding whether the coverage of FCA will be further reduced in the future, so that more land will be released for development;
(c) given that under the existing requirements, non-FCA people have to be sponsored by FCA people when applying for Closed Area Permits ("CAPs") to visit FCA, whether the authorities will examine the relaxation of the qualifications for sponsors (e.g. by allowing non-governmental organisations such as schools and uniform organisations to act as sponsors in the application for CAPs for their students or members), so as to facilitate members of the public to enter the area for touring, visiting and teaching purposes; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(d) whether the authorities will examine the opening up of the entire FCA during weekends and public holidays, so as to promote tourism and industrial and commercial activities in the area; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(e) whether the authorities will consider extending the validity period of the Closed Road Permits for FCA and relaxing the conditions for their use (e.g. by allowing multiple entries to and exits from FCA within several years for the drivers and vehicles concerned), so as to bring convenience to the public; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(f) whether the authorities will examine relocating those government departments which do not require direct contact with members of the public to areas within the precincts of FCA, so as to vacate urban land for more cost effective uses, as well as to make better use of the land resources in FCA and increase the flow of people in the area; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(g) given that the Shenzhen Government and the SAR Government are co-operating in the planning for the Lok Ma Chau Loop, with the intention of developing higher education and high-tech research and development projects in the area, whether the authorities will also examine the development of education services (e.g. construction of universities) in FCA, such as in Sha Tau Kok, etc; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(h) given that with an aging population, the demand for elderly housing has increased, whether the authorities will examine the construction of residential care homes for the elderly ("RCHE") in FCA so as to increase the supply of RCHE places and shorten the waiting time for such places; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Administration announced in January 2008 that the coverage of the Frontier Closed Area (FCA) would be substantially reduced from about 2 800 hectares to about 400 hectares. The reduced FCA will mainly comprise Sha Tau Kok Town, Boundary Control Points and the re-aligned boundary patrol road. In respect of the Sha Tau Kok FCA, our reply is as follows:
(a) The reduced FCA will mainly comprise Sha Tau Kok Town, Boundary Control Points and the re-aligned boundary patrol road. The Planning Department (PlanD) commenced the "Study on Enhancement of the Sha Tau Kok Rural Township and Surrounding Areas" ("the Study") in April 2009. The Study aims to formulate an Integrated Area Improvement Plan to enhance the physical environment of Sha Tau Kwok Town and its surrounding area. The Study will also assess the tourism potential of the area, taking into account the FCA status of Sha Tau Kok Town, and examine the possibility of enhancing the connection of Sha Tau Kwok Town with other possible tourist attractions in the North East New Territories. PlanD conducted the Community Engagement Stage 1 of the Study in 2009 to solicit public views on the visions and aspirations for the future development of Sha Tau Kok Town and its surrounding areas. PlanD is now reviewing the comments received. Since Sha Tau Kok Town will remain within the FCA, the security constraints of the FCA would need to be taken into account in considering the public comments.
(b) As stated above, the Administration announced in January 2008 that the coverage of the FCA would be substantially reduced from about 2 800 hectares to about 400 hectares. From the security angle, it is necessary to retain the boundary patrol road and a narrow strip of land to its north within the FCA to maintain effective management and integrity of the boundary after the FCA is substantially reduced. As regards the reasons for retaining Sha Tau Kok Town within the FCA, it is mainly because of the unique physical setting of Chung Ying Street. Chung Ying Street is a narrow street. There is no physical barrier to delineate the boundary, nor are there any proper boundary control facilities. On the other hand, smuggling and illegal immigration activities at Chung Ying Street still persist. Given these security considerations and physical constraints, it is necessary to retain Sha Tau Kok Town within the FCA.
(c) The FCA is an important security measure to maintain the integrity of the boundary between HKSAR and the Mainland and to combat illegal immigration and other cross-boundary criminal activities. To ensure effective management of the FCA, any person entering or leaving the FCA must possess a valid Closed Area Permit (CAP).
To prevent excessive presence of people and activities in the FCA, the Police will only issue CAP to applicants who have genuine need to access the FCA under the existing FCA policy. At present, students and members of schools and uniformed groups within the FCA can submit CAP applications direct to the Police. All CAP applications must be assessed by the Police, including verification with the heads of the relevant schools and uniformed groups within the FCA on the applications (commonly referred to as the "sponsoring" procedure). Currently, there is no plan to revise the relevant verification procedures.
(d) Regarding the proposal to open up the Sha Tau Kok FCA to facilitate tourism activities, the Administration has all along engaged in discussion with Sha Tau Kok residents on various options for opening up Sha Tau Kok Town on a limited scale, especially the Sha Tau Kok pier, to facilitate tourists' access to the outer islands in northeastern New Territories and the development of eco-tourism in the area concerned. However, due to the unique physical setting of Chung Ying Street, we have to ensure that the associated security measures will be acceptable to the local residents and can facilitate the Police in maintaining effective boundary management in opening up the area for tourism development. As for the further promotion of business activities in the Sha Tau Kok FCA, we have explained in the above paragraphs that PlanD has commenced work on the Study.
(e) In order to ensure effective law enforcement within the FCA, we need to closely monitor the usage of the closed roads within the FCA to prevent excessive presence of people and activities. In considering applications for Closed Road Permit (CRP) for access to the FCA, the Police will take into account factors such as road safety, traffic management, security conditions of the FCA and whether the applicant has genuine need to access to the FCA, etc. In accordance with regulation 49 of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap 374E), the Police may issue CRP of validity of not more than 12 months. At present, the Transport and Housing Bureau has no plan to extend further CRP's validity period and conditions of use.
(f) For more effective use of valuable land resources, the general policy of the Government Property Agency is to relocate government offices with no location requirements out of high-value areas. In identifying suitable sites for the construction of new government offices, the Government will study the feasibility of constructing government offices in non-core business districts or new development areas. Factors for consideration include operational needs of departments, accessibility of the sites concerned, impact on the provision of public services, cost-effectiveness, etc.
At present, there are two general government office buildings in the FCA, namely, Sha Tau Kok Government Offices Building and Ta Kwu Ling Rural Centre Government Building. According to the latest information, there is no new demand from government departments for offices in the FCA and the Government currently has no plan to construct new government office buildings in the FCA or relocate other government offices to the area.
(g) Regarding the development of Sha Tau Kok Town, PlanD has commenced work on the Study. In addition, the Hong Kong and Shenzhen governments have adopted the principle of "co-study" and "co-development" and are now exploring the development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop for higher education as the leading land use, complemented with hi-tech research and development, and cultural and creative industries. In the "Study of Land Use Planning for the Closed Area", PlanD also proposes to improve the well-being and boost the local economy by promoting appropriate land uses, in addition to protecting the ecologically and environmentally sensitive areas.
(h) PlanD is conducting the Study to formulate an Integrated Area Improvement Plan for the area concerned. In addition, the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Social Welfare Department have been proactively identifying suitable sites in various districts for elderly care services facilities. Apart from considering the size of the site, the planning parameters and restrictions on usage, the Government also needs to take into account the complementary transportation arrangements, the living environment, the demand and supply of services in the district, etc. Due to various considerations, the Government currently has no plan to commission residential care homes for the elderly in Sha Tau Kok.
Ends/Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:36
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