As a cold spell grips Hong Kong, scores of homeless residents are choosing to endure the chill rather than take refuge in government shelters, which they say feel like prison. The Post visited Tung Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po on Tuesday night and found around 70 people staying there in about seven clusters. The Hong Kong Observatory warned temperatures would drop to as low as 11 degrees Celsius.
As a cold spell grips Hong Kong, scores of homeless residents are choosing to endure the chill rather than take refuge in government shelters, where they say it feels “like being imprisoned”.
When the Post visited the 5.5-hectare Tung Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po – one of the most popular spots for street sleepers – on Tuesday night, around 70 people were found staying there in about seven clusters. Most were sheltered in tents or on foldable beds, some tucked behind flower beds, pillars or makeshift screens for privacy. Among them was Henry Lai, 62, dressed in a short-sleeve T-shirt and a light jacket despite the falling temperatures. Tuesday marked “Major Cold” on the Chinese calendar, considered the chilliest time of the year.
The Hong Kong Observatory had warned that temperatures would gradually drop to as low as 11 degrees Celsius (51.8 Fahrenheit) in urban areas on Thursday and even a few degrees lower in far-flung northern districts under the influence of an intense winter monsoon. The minimum temperature is expected to hover near 12 degrees on Friday before rising again in the coming days.
Some street sleepers brave the elements at the popular park in Sham Shui Po, others take refuge in an underpass near the cultural centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.