Lau Wong Fat
Encyclopedia
Lau Wong Fat, GBM
, GBS
, OBE
, JP
(Born 15 October 1936, Tuen Mun
, Hong Kong) is a member of the Hong Kong Executive Council
as well as the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Heung Yee Kuk
constituency. He is chairman of the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk
and the Tuen Mun District Council. He personally owns at least 680 site
s in New Territories, and therefore people often called him the "King of New Territories". He was involved to the scandal of interest declaration which occurred in 2010. However, the Legislative Council (LegCo) eventually had not held any individual committee to investigate Lau, for unknown reasons. This has caused some people believe there are transfer of benefits and collusion between Lau and the government. He is politically identified as a leftist, as well as a part of the pro-Beijing camp
. He is a member of the Executive Council
and CPPCC
, and hence has a close relationship with the Communist Party of China
. In 2009 and 2010, he supported the disputable HK$66.9 billion funding on the Express Rail, and advocated the controversial reform of methods for selecting the CE and LegCo. Although Lau is a councilor of the LegCo, his performance is considered to be one of the worst as he has not issued a motion
since 1998.
. In 1977 a school was constructed and named after him in Kowloon
, the Lau Wong-fat secondary school.
Since 1980 Lau has been chairman of Heung Yee Kuk
, and is known as the "King of New Territories" (新界王) or the "Land Emperor of New Territories" (新界土皇帝). In 1983, he succeeded Tang Yuek Fan as the chairman of the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School
. In 1985 he became a member of the regional council. Lau then became a member of the Hong Kong Liberal Party
and the New Territories constituency.
In 1991 to 1995 he was elected to the LegCo functional constituency. He also became a member of the Provisional Legislative Council
in 1996.
He is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
and an honorary court member of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
. Starting in 2004 he was selected to represent Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Lunar New year kau cim tradition
replacing Patrick Ho
. In 2005 he received the Grand Bauhinia Medal
, the highest honour in HK.
, the former chairwoman of Liberal Party, complained that Lau Wong Fat had been canvassing
for the DAB's Cheung Hok-ming, her main competitor, and this led to her defeat in the Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
. The Liberal Party's acting chairwoman, Miriam Lau
, later confirmed that Lau Wong Fat had left the party.
and deputy chairwoman of Legco's Committee on Members' Interests Emily Lau
. His portfolio was later revealed to contain a large amount of land in Hong Kong with 724 plots of land and he was described as "a huge landlord" by Miriam Lau. He owns partly or in full the following:
Together with his family and through various companies, he owns 40 commercial and residential properties including houses and flats. Prior to October 2010 he registered only 337 plots of land. He failed to declare the purchases of three houses in Yuen Long in April and 16 flats in Yoho Midtown
through Carofaith Investment, in which he holds 40% stake. Another company controlled by his son Kenneth Lau Ip-keung and Lau's daughter-in-law also bought eight flats in Yoho. His son sold three of them making a profit of HK$800,000 at a time when the government was trying to cool real estate property prices in 2010.
Hong Kong honours system
The existing Hong Kong honours system was created after transfer of government of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China as a special administrative region in 1997...
, GBS
Hong Kong honours system
The existing Hong Kong honours system was created after transfer of government of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China as a special administrative region in 1997...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(Born 15 October 1936, Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...
, Hong Kong) is a member of the Hong Kong Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
as well as the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Heung Yee Kuk
Heung Yee Kuk
The Heung Yee Kuk is a statutory advisory body representing the indigenous inhabitants of New Territories, Hong Kong.Colloquially shortened to 'the Kuk'.-History:...
constituency. He is chairman of the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk
Heung Yee Kuk
The Heung Yee Kuk is a statutory advisory body representing the indigenous inhabitants of New Territories, Hong Kong.Colloquially shortened to 'the Kuk'.-History:...
and the Tuen Mun District Council. He personally owns at least 680 site
Site
A site is the location of an event, structure, object, or other thing, whether actual, virtual, abandoned , extant, or planned.*For a building site, see construction.*For a site on the World Wide Web, see website....
s in New Territories, and therefore people often called him the "King of New Territories". He was involved to the scandal of interest declaration which occurred in 2010. However, the Legislative Council (LegCo) eventually had not held any individual committee to investigate Lau, for unknown reasons. This has caused some people believe there are transfer of benefits and collusion between Lau and the government. He is politically identified as a leftist, as well as a part of the pro-Beijing camp
Pro-Beijing Camp
The Pro-Beijing Camp, pro-Establishment Camp, pan-Establishment Camp is a segment of Hong Kong society that supports the policies and views of the People's Republic of China before and after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.It is also nicknamed the royalists or loyalists.The term can be used to...
. He is a member of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
and CPPCC
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
, and hence has a close relationship with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. In 2009 and 2010, he supported the disputable HK$66.9 billion funding on the Express Rail, and advocated the controversial reform of methods for selecting the CE and LegCo. Although Lau is a councilor of the LegCo, his performance is considered to be one of the worst as he has not issued a motion
Motion (legal)
In law, a motion is a procedural device to bring a limited, contested issue before a court for decision. A motion may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. Motions may be made at any point in administrative, criminal or civil proceedings, although that right is...
since 1998.
Career
Lau initially attended Ling Saan High School (靈山中學). At the age of 22, Lau was selected by local villagers to be a representative of Tuen Mun. Four years later he was the chairman of the Tuen Mun Rural committeeRural committee
Rural committee is a body representing the welfare of indigenous residents in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The chairman of each rural committee is the representative in the Heung Yee Kuk, and is ex-officio member of a district council....
. In 1977 a school was constructed and named after him in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, the Lau Wong-fat secondary school.
Since 1980 Lau has been chairman of Heung Yee Kuk
Heung Yee Kuk
The Heung Yee Kuk is a statutory advisory body representing the indigenous inhabitants of New Territories, Hong Kong.Colloquially shortened to 'the Kuk'.-History:...
, and is known as the "King of New Territories" (新界王) or the "Land Emperor of New Territories" (新界土皇帝). In 1983, he succeeded Tang Yuek Fan as the chairman of the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School
New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School
The New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School is a Hong Kong secondary school located in Yuen Long, New Territories. Its motto is in Chinese "務本力學", meaning "conscientiousness and diligence". The official medium of instruction is English. - History :The foundation-laying...
. In 1985 he became a member of the regional council. Lau then became a member of the Hong Kong Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Hong Kong)
Liberal Party is a business-friendly liberal conservative political party in Hong Kong.-Party beliefs:The party is known for its conservative and business-friendly policies. Despite being a political party friendly with Beijing, it fits in the centre-right political spectrum...
and the New Territories constituency.
In 1991 to 1995 he was elected to the LegCo functional constituency. He also became a member of the Provisional Legislative Council
Provisional Legislative Council
The Provisional Legislative Council or the PLC was the interim legislature of Hong Kong from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 until the handover in 1997 and moved to Hong Kong to serves as the temporary replacement of Legislative Council of Hong...
in 1996.
He is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
and an honorary court member of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is a public university located in Hong Kong. Established in 1991 under Hong Kong Law Chapter 1141 , it is one of the nine universities in Hong Kong.Professor Tony F. Chan is the president of HKUST...
. Starting in 2004 he was selected to represent Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Lunar New year kau cim tradition
Hong Kong Lunar New year kau cim tradition
Hong Kong Lunar New year kau cim tradition is a divination process where a Hong Kong citizen represents the city in a ritual called kau cim. The event takes place in Che Kung temple, Sha Tin where a fortune stick is drawn. The luck of the city for that upcoming Lunar year will be decided by the...
replacing Patrick Ho
Patrick Ho
Dr Patrick Ho Chi-ping JP is an ophthalmologist, and Hong Kong's former Secretary for Home Affairs. From 1988-2000, he was Professor of Surgery at the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
. In 2005 he received the Grand Bauhinia Medal
Grand Bauhinia Medal
The Grand Bauhinia Medal the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system, is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style "The Honorable"...
, the highest honour in HK.
Quitting Liberal Party
In September 2008, Selina ChowSelina Chow
Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, GBS OBE JP was a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. She was the former vice-chairman of the Liberal Party . She is also well-known in Hong Kong for her career in broadcasting.An alumnus of St...
, the former chairwoman of Liberal Party, complained that Lau Wong Fat had been canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
for the DAB's Cheung Hok-ming, her main competitor, and this led to her defeat in the Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
The 2008 Hong Kong legislative election was held on 7 September 2008 for the 4th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There are 60 seats in the 4th Council, with 30 Members elected by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and...
. The Liberal Party's acting chairwoman, Miriam Lau
Miriam Lau
Miriam Lau Kin Yee, GBS, OBE, JP , former married name Miriam Lau Lau Kin Yee, is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the transport industry functional constituency...
, later confirmed that Lau Wong Fat had left the party.
Property disclosure incident
In October 2010, Lau was publicly criticised for his purchase of 19 properties in Yuen Long through companies linked to him after he failed to disclose at least some of the acquisitions to the council within the required 14 days. In a span of 10 days he revised his declared total ownership of land three times, bringing further criticism from leading figures such as Legco House Committee chairwoman Miriam LauMiriam Lau
Miriam Lau Kin Yee, GBS, OBE, JP , former married name Miriam Lau Lau Kin Yee, is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the transport industry functional constituency...
and deputy chairwoman of Legco's Committee on Members' Interests Emily Lau
Emily Lau
Emily Lau Wai-hing JP is one of two vice-chairmen of Democratic Party.She was the convenor of The Frontier...
. His portfolio was later revealed to contain a large amount of land in Hong Kong with 724 plots of land and he was described as "a huge landlord" by Miriam Lau. He owns partly or in full the following:
| Plots of land owned | Location |
|---|---|
| 521 plots | Tuen Mun |
| 122 plots | North District North District, Hong Kong North District is the northernmost district of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the northwestern part of the New Territories. The new town of Fanling-Sheung Shui is within this district. It had a population of 298,657 in 2001. The district has the second lowest population density.It... |
| 33 plots | Yuen Long Yuen Long Yuen Long , formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.-Name:The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗... |
| 4 plots | islands near Hong Kong |
| 2 plots | Tai Po Tai Po Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the... |
| 2 plots | Mainland China Mainland China Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and... |
Together with his family and through various companies, he owns 40 commercial and residential properties including houses and flats. Prior to October 2010 he registered only 337 plots of land. He failed to declare the purchases of three houses in Yuen Long in April and 16 flats in Yoho Midtown
YOHO Town
YOHO Town is one of the private housing estates and shopping centres in Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties. It is divided into 3 phases. Phase 1 has 2,200 residential units in eight blocks built in 2004. Phase 2 is completed in 2010 and phase 3 still yet to...
through Carofaith Investment, in which he holds 40% stake. Another company controlled by his son Kenneth Lau Ip-keung and Lau's daughter-in-law also bought eight flats in Yoho. His son sold three of them making a profit of HK$800,000 at a time when the government was trying to cool real estate property prices in 2010.