HK farmers protest over land grab

Marginalised lot: A farmer working on his field in Hong Kong. Hong Kong farming villages bordering mainland China are locked in a bitter struggle against property developers accused of 'land hoarding'. - AFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong farming villages bordering mainland China are locked in a bitter struggle against property developers accused of “land hoarding”, as resentment of the city’s vast wealth gap fuels democracy protests.

Now in their second month, the protests were sparked by Beijing’s insistence on vetting candidates in Hong Kong’s next leadership elections in 2017 – but the perceived cosy relationship between the government and the city’s powerful business elite is also a key source of anger.