squatter notice.jpg

Hi there,

That was actually an ultimatum from the government that the squatters in the area would be demolished on 16th December 1994,  It urges residents to move out with their belongings or what's found on-site would be treated as rubbish.

T

Greetings.  May be this is the typical way such notice was posted by the issuing office, but I find it strange in several aspects.

Such declaration and warning was a serious matter for those affected.  What shows here having official legitimacy is a simple ink-stamp, but no office address (upper right corner doesn't look like it) or telephone number, signature nor the signee's official capacity.  Regards,  Peter

Total speculation on my part. Maybe by the time the notice was posted, much if not all of Nga Choi Hang residents had already moved. As a result, the notice was more of a formality than anything. But I agree, it is strange that such a serious notice did not contain any contact info of Housing Department at all.

As a kid, I used to follow my mum to visit a relative there. The village was massive, covering the entire mountain slope in Tai Hang. It was a long walk up to my relative's place. They sold their squatter in the 80s and moved to the nearby Fort Street.

Thank you nwong for your explanation.  In the 1950s, I visited my adopted parents (kai ma and kai ya) when they were living in Shek Kip Mei Village then also a shanty town.  Harrison Foreman took some photos there, and the look of the children my age always stay with me.  The area was a bit further to the northeast, it could be the reason it escaped the December 1953 fire.  Regards, Peter