1st February 2023 – (Hong Kong) At 10.16am this morning, a 58-year-old female resident at Block 10, Shek Lei (2) Estate, Kwai Chung. suspected that her unit would be repossessed. She then attempted to slit her wrist to end her life. Police rushed to persuade the victim to calm down. She was not injured.
Shek Lei Estate is is one of the last remaining temporary housing areas in Hong Kong. The apartments were allocated to those who had to quit their previous homes because of landslides, fires or demolition plans for squatter areas, but who are not entitled to regular public housing. The Housing Authority applied to the Town Planning Board to demolish the 10th and 11th blocks at the end of last year and rebuild them into public housing. The plot ratio for redevelopment has been relaxed to 6.5 times. Most residents have already vacated their units. The residents have filed a legal suit against the Hong Kong government’s plan to rehouse them elsewhere and claimed that it violates the Basic Law and the Bill of Rights.
If you have suicidal tendencies or depression, please call the 24-hour multi-lingual hotline at The Samaritans Hong Kong : 28960000.