[國際新聞] CNN披露籠屋慘況 嘲貧富懸殊

CNN記者 Eunice Yoon上月到觀塘一個住了 19個人的籠屋單位採訪。


美國有線新聞網絡報道香港籠民苦況，引起外國人關注。

Living in a cage in Hong Kong (CNN) October 28, 2009

If you have ever complained that your apartment is the size of a shoebox, consider the living space of Hong Kong resident Chung For Lau.

Chung lives in a 625 square foot (58.06 square meter) flat here with 18 strangers.

The place is sectioned into tiny cubicles made of wooden planks and wire mesh. Everything he has acquired over the years -- clothes, dishes, figurines, a tired TV set -- is squeezed into this tiny cube, a modernized version of what is known here as a cage home.

With all the buzz over Hong Kong's exorbitant luxury property (like the recent record-breaking sale of a $57 million duplex), it may be hard to believe that people have been living in cage homes in this city for years.

But with Hong Kong home to some of the most densley-populated urban districts in the world, real estate has always come at a premium, no matter how small.

Chung's cage is a newer yet less-desirable model, we are told. The wire mesh one, which resembles an over-sized rabbit hutch, is apparently more comfortable.

Occupants have less privacy, but the temperatures don't get as high as in the wooden-mesh variety. A thermometer in Chung's home reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). Sometimes it gets so hot, Chung said, that he wants to die.

Chung used to be a security guard. In the good old days he earned about $500 (HK$3,875) per month. But as the economic crisis set in, his full time job went to part time work until he was laid off this past summer.

As he stared into his bank passbook, Chung lamented that he wouldn't be able to make the $150 rent (HK$1,160) this month -- these cubes aren't cheap.

They are stacked on two levels -- $100 (HK$775) for a cube on the upper deck and $150 for the lower bunk.

The lower cubes are more expensive because you can just barely stand upright in them. Do the math and the apartment owner is collecting roughly $2,500 a month (HK$19,375) from these people.

The 19 occupants share two toilets. A small rubber hose attached to a leaky faucet is what they use to wash themselves. Social workers who monitor the apartments said the electricity is donated, so a few of them have TVs. One person on the upper deck has an aquarium.

One social workers said that because of the recession these homes are being occupied more frequently by those made jobless -- people in their 30s and 40s. The social worker said none of the younger people wanted to speak on camera for fear their chances of finding work would be hurt.

Chung, 67, is now waiting for welfare to kick in and is on a long list for public housing. The government says it is doing its best to meet its citizens' needs, but Chung says he has lost all hope. Economic recovery or not, he feels forgotten.

CNN探籠屋嘲貧富懸殊 (明報) 2009-10-30

【明報專訊】繼早前香港援交問題上咗CNN被網民指為香港之恥後，今次香港再次「揚威」嘅，輪到籠屋。話說早排報道香港援交情况嘅 CNN女記者，最近去咗籠屋體驗一下天堂與地獄嘅分別，佢入到一個625呎、住咗19人嘅單位，一路向觀眾介紹，一路眉頭緊皺：「班人一齊喺度煮飯，因為無錢出街食，兩個廁所19個人用，用呢條水喉仔冲涼！」

嘆屋小人多捱貴租

呢間籠屋嘅住客有老有嫩，一個阿伯識英文，仲問：「你估我幾歲？」攝影師估69歲，但阿伯原來已經90歲。女記者又感傷，老人住咗大半世，連一班30幾歲後生嘅都入埋嚟住，「因為金融危機，好多人失業……籠屋好窄，熱到34℃……一間咁嘅嘢，19個人加埋月租竟然要2500美金（約19,500港元）！」

女記者去問香港政府，政府回覆話：「政府一向關心草根嘅住屋，佢哋自己揀住呢度，係因為租金平同方便。」好明顯女記者唔係好明，話：「當香港豪宅賣到黐晒線嘅時候，你好難相信呢個城市有人住咗係咁嘅籠屋好多年。」



豪宅屢創天價 草根交千元租金也難 CNN披露籠屋慘況　港府厚顏卸膊籠民 (蘋果) 2009-10-30

香港籠屋「升呢」，榮獲國際關注。美國有線新聞網絡（ CNN）昨日報道豪宅樓價屢創新高下的本港籠民慘況，引發外國觀眾參與討論。港府把籠屋問題歸咎於租金及籠民本身的意願，社工則批評這是香港房屋政策的失敗，並對香港形象受損感到慚愧。有籠民說，特首曾蔭權不會因國際傳媒關注而改善對他們的態度。

CNN的報道以《活在香港的籠》（ Living in a cage in Hong Kong）為題，披露香港籠屋的慘況。記者 Eunice Yoon今年 9月透過社區組織協會，訪問了觀塘一個住了 19個人、僅 625平方呎的籠屋單位。汗流浹背的她在 34℃室內高溫下，講述國際大都會下草根居民的生活環境，單在 YouTube觀看轉載版本的網民，半日已超過 300人次。

報道訪問了籠民鍾火流，從前當保安員，月入 3,875元，去年金融海嘯後被裁。眼看現有的積蓄，連 1,160元的籠屋月租也應付不來。 CNN邀約港府訪問被拒，只能引述港府書面回應稱：「政府一直重視草根所需，包括住屋需求……他們選擇居於床位，除了因為租金低廉，也由於單位設在方便的市區。」



CNN記者特別提及香港豪宅市場近日交投瘋狂，港島西半山樓盤天匯一個複式單位以 4.39億元成交，呎價創紀錄，對比籠民生活苦況。

網民反應激烈，有人直言「羞恥！」有人說"I hate HK."有留言衝着港府的回應而來：「香港政府是一群白癡。（ HK government is a group of idiot.）」更有留言說：「政府在末段的反應讓我反胃。（ government's response at the end made me sick.）」

議員：我覺得好慚愧

協助 CNN訪問的社區組織協會幹事施麗珊說，外國傳媒採訪香港籠屋並不罕見，過往路透社、美聯社也曾報道：「啲外國記者入到籠屋，個個反應都好驚訝。」她說香港的籠屋已破壞了國際都市的形象：「一個咁有錢嘅地方，連草根階層嘅基本生活都保障唔到。」

施麗珊並批評港府的回應是推卸責任：「籠民要住呢啲地方，係因為申請唔到公屋，政府根本冇提供選擇畀佢哋。」

立法會社會福利界議員張國柱也指出，籠屋問題是由於單身公屋不足，綜援金也不夠租住私人住宅，「籠屋係世界少見嘅住所，唔好話西方，東南亞都少見。一個咁發達嘅地方，有啲咁嘅住屋環境，作為香港人，我覺得好慚愧囉。更加令我慚愧嘅係，政府完全冇關心過呢班居民。」

本港現時約有 10萬人住在籠屋，集中在深水埗、大角嘴、油尖旺、土瓜灣及觀塘等區。社區組織協會今年 4至 6月的調查顯示， 10.7%籠屋板間單位的租金在金融海嘯下不跌反升，平均加幅為 15%，有業主更瘋狂加租 40%，整體租金呎價中位數由 07年的 23.9元推高至現時的 32.9元，「媲美」半山豪宅。

特稿 籠民：沒有選擇的選擇

「無可奈何，綜援太少。」觀塘區籠民梁伯每月的住屋津貼只得 1,200元，剛好夠交籠屋租金。他去年因病入院後失去了公屋單位，重新申請起碼要再等一年，惡病纏身也要住在籠屋。雖有國際傳媒反映問題，但梁伯並不樂觀：「曾蔭權俾人吠都係咁咯，佢聽到都當聽唔到啦。」

「曾蔭權聽到都當聽唔到」

74歲的梁伯本來住在鯉魚門公屋，去年大病入院，出院後被社會福利署「丟入」老人院。該九個多月內，梁伯未能前往交租，公屋單位遭房屋署沒收。梁伯離開老人院後，只好租住 50呎丁方的籠屋，月租 1,200元，比公屋單位 1,040元更貴。

梁伯體弱多病，本身前列腺有毛病，又有時生蛇。他說籠屋環境惡劣，「窗都冇個，空氣唔夠，人又多，十幾人得兩個廁所，好話唔好聽，試過等到瀨。」他仍有機會重返公屋，但最快要多等一年。政府指籠民是自己選擇住籠屋，梁伯慨歎這是沒有選擇的選擇：「我去開市區嘅醫院診所睇病，搬去新界，你叫我用啲錢嚟搭車好定食好呢？」

政府邇來盡失民心，即使有國際傳媒報道施壓，梁伯也不敢奢望政府改變對籠民的冷漠態度，「有外國電視報道，咁咪威水囉！不過對我哋都冇益處啦，政府理得你吖！曾蔭權俾人吠都係咁咯，佢聽到都當聽唔到啦。」