Houseboat families at Hong Kong's Discovery Bay Marina Club are facing eviction. They formed a group that demands greater transparency from the management.
According to the South China Morning Post, a boating industry insider said that families could likely encounter a "big, big problem" with relocation since all other marinas in the city were full. Living on board boat was not permitted in Hong Kong, as per the government. However, the government also refused to comment when asked if officials are making follow-ups on the issue.
On Friday, the Discovery Bay Marina Club on Lantau Island announced that all memberships and berthing permits need to be terminated by December 31, because the club will be closed for "extensive repair, renovation, and maintenance work." However, the marina did not say anything about what will happen after the renovation or if there are any arrangements made for those shipped out.
The residents said there are between 150 and 200 families living on boats in the marina. A houseboater, who lives at the marina for about a decade, noted the club had not communicated with the residents at all.
"It's frustrating," he said. "Having lived there now for 10 years ... if I have just a simple question, you still don't know who to ask, you don't know who's in charge, and even if they say they will pass it on, you never get a reply."
The Hong Kong Resort Company, the developer of Discovery Bay, and a principal subsidiary of HKR International stated the management of the club would handle the all the matters related to the private marina, but the coma[y had no additional comment.
It's not allowed to use a vessel as a means of dwelling place within Hong Kong waters unless a there is a license issued before the introduction of related regulations, said the spokeswoman for the government's Marine Department.
Meanwhile, David Robinson - the owner of boating magazine Fragrant Harbour - it would be difficult for the houseboat families to find a new place to moor their boats.
"All the other marinas are short of or at full capacity, so it's a big, big problem as to where these 200 boats will go," he said.
The majority of the families could go to Hei Ling Chau, an island to the east of Lantau. However, there was no water, power supply or transport there. Robinson also added that countries like America, Netherlands, and France had no problem with people living on boats - unlike in Hong Kong.
As per transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming, the families should have spaces for their boats regardless of whether they lived inside or not, and the government must offer help. He also urged the families to seek legal advice on whether they had been deceived by the club in any way.
