HONG KONG: A prominent environmental group in Hong Kong said on Friday (Aug 1) it was disbanding after decades of campaigning to protect Victoria Harbour from large-scale reclamation, citing a new law that weakens oversight of such projects.
The Society for Protection of the Harbour (SPH) said recent amendments to land reclamation rules had consolidated too much power in the hands of government decision-makers, violating key public law principles. Despite submitting legal advice to authorities, the group said it received no response before the bill passed in May.
SPH’s closure marks the latest retreat of civil society in Hong Kong since the imposition of a sweeping national security law in 2020, which has led to the arrest or exile of hundreds of democracy activists and the closure of numerous organisations.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn told the pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po in June that the government had encountered “soft resistance” a term often used to describe ideological dissent, during the law’s amendment process. She cited a social media post by SPH warning that reclamation plans posed risks to the harbour.
The Development Bureau on Friday acknowledged SPH’s past contributions to harbourfront affairs but defended the new law, saying it had “strengthened regulations on large-scale reclamation” in Victoria Harbour.
In its farewell message, SPH said it hoped the harbourfront would eventually be declared a “National Treasure of China” and safeguarded “for the benefit of the present and future generations.”
