More than 200 protesters were arrested in Hong Kong, as tens of thousands of angry residents gathered in the central business district (CBD) to protest the increasing property prices in the city-state.
“The main objective of today’s rally is to protest against property developers’ control over the Hong Kong economy,” said legislator Albert Chan, as quoted by Reuters.
“Secondly, we are asking the chief executive to step down. Thirdly and most importantly, this is for universal suffrage in 2012.”
Demonstrators were mainly protesting the skyrocketing property prices, as well as the massive earnings of some property tycoons.
Police estimated the crowd to be 54,000, but organisers said up to 218,000 participated in the rally on 1 July, which marked the 14th anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to Chinese rule, to voice their frustration about the red-hot property market.
“Some young people can’t afford to buy a house or a flat and they don’t have a place to live. So it means they can’t get married. And public housing isn’t sufficient,” said Helen Yip, who joined the protest.
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