Lawmaker to call for Legco to delay Tuen Mun landfill debate

News›Hong Kong

Lai Ying-kit yingkit.lai@scmp.com

A legislator is planning to propose that lawmakers defer indefinitely Friday’s discussion and possible vote on a controversial proposal to fund a study on the expansion of the Tuen Mun landfill.

Democratic Party’s Wu Chi-wai said he would raise a motion to abort the debate, scheduled for the finance committee meeting in the Legislative Council on Friday afternoon, concerning the government’s request for HK$35 million to fund the study.

The funding request proposal has met strong opposition from political parties and residents who say Tuen Mun is home to a number of noxious facilities and cannot take anymore.

Ten Tuen Mun residents have been on a hunger strike outside the Legco building in Admiralty since Thursday.

Another lawmaker, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung has filed hundreds of amendments in a filibuster also aimed at getting the government to withdraw the proposal.

Wu, who has also prepared 40 amendments, said the debate was expected to be long and it would be better for all if the government postponed it to an unspecified later time so other proposals would not be held up.

Liberal Party’s James Tien Pei-chun said he supported Wu’s idea.

Legco finance committee Cheung Yu-yan said on Friday it was unlikely the debate would be completed and the proposal put to a vote before Legco’s summer recess, given the many amendments.

The fate of the landfill extension plan remained uncertain.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Thursday went to a Tuen Mun District Council meeting in a last-minute effort to shore up support for the plan, but she failed to persuade the council to support it.

Tuen Mun landfill

Carrie Lam’s landfill plea to Tuen Mun council falls on deaf ears [1]