Kenneth Lau
Kenneth Lau Ip-keung | |
|---|---|
劉業強 | |
 Kenneth Lau | |
| Non-Official Member of Executive Council | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Carrie Lam |
| Preceded by | Cheung Hok-ming |
| Member of Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Lau Wong-fat |
| Constituency | Heung Yee Kuk |
| Chairman of Heung Yee Kuk | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Lau Wong-fat |
| Member of Tuen Mun District Council | |
| In office 1 January 2000 – 1 April 2011 | |
| Appointed by | Leung Chun-ying |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1966 (age 55–56) British Hong Kong |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong |
| Spouse(s) | Judy Lau Yap Ai-ai |
| Parent(s) | Lau Wong-fat |
| Residence | Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics (BS) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Kenneth Lau Ip-keung | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 劉業強 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘业强 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Kenneth Lau Ip-keung BBS MH JP (Chinese: 劉業強, born 1966) is a New Territories rural leader in Hong Kong. He is the current chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the Heung Yee Kuk functional constituency, succeeding his father Lau Wong-fat in 2015 and 2016 respectively. He has been an unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong since 2017. He was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2017.[1]
Biography[]
Lau was born in 1966 to Lau Wong-fat, the powerful rural leader and the chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk for 35 years. He graduated from the London School of Economics in 1989 with a degree in mathematics and statistics. In May 2015, he was elected unchallenged to the Kuk chairmanship upon his father's retirement.[2][3]
Lau was an appointed member of Tuen Mun District Council from 2000 to 2011. He was also a member of the government's Environmental Campaign Committee (2010–13).[4]
Since 2006, he has been a member of the Election Committee, under the New Territories District Council Subsector from 2006 to 2011 and through Heung Yee Kuk since 2011.[5]
Lau is a director of the Community Chest of Hong Kong. He and his wife, Judy Lau Yap Ai-ai, are members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and horse owners.
Lau was revealed to be a British citizen by documents in the Panama Papers.[6]
In the 2016 Hong Kong Legislative Council election, he succeeded his father to become a member of the Legislative Council in the Heung Yee Kuk functional constituency unopposed.
Property[]
According to his July 2020 declaration of interest, he owns more than 400 pieces of land throughout Hong Kong.[7] In addition to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the declaration lists him as a member of other organisations such as the Mission Hills Golf Club, Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club, and the Hong Kong Golf Club.[7]
In 2021, police in Lung Kwu Tan seized 10 speedboats and a record 57 engines, both used for illegal smuggling, in a 100,000 sqft warehouse belonging to a company owned by Lau and his family.[8]
According to Lau's January 2022 declaration of assets, he owns properties and land in Hong Kong, as well as land in Wuhan and Huizhou.[9] He also declared shares in 105 companies, ranging from moneylending businesses to catering businesses.[9]
Housing[]
Small House Policy[]
Lau is a supporter of the Small House Policy, and in January 2021, after the judiciary reinstated building rights for the Small House Policy, claimed "I heard some describe this as a 'big win' for us ... but the judgment is actually good for the whole of Hong Kong."[10] Critics of the Small House Policy have said that the policy is "wasteful of land" that could instead be used for high rise developments.[11] In February 2021, Lau said that the government hadn't fixed the housing supply issue in Hong Kong, and that "They can talk the talk, but they haven’t walked the talk,"[12] despite Lau's fighting for the Small House Policy, which takes up around 5,000 hectares of land in Hong Kong.[13]
Lau has also said that overseas male descendants of indigenous villagers should be entitled to the small house policy even if they are not Hong Kong residents, and that "Despite them being overseas, we should not strip them of their rights."[14]
Land reclamation[]
In October 2021, Lau said that villagers in Lung Kwu Tan in Tuen Mun would object to the government's land reclamation project near their homes, meant to create more land for the housing shortfall in Hong Kong.[15]
References[]
- ^ "Appendix to the 2017 Honours List" (PDF). Hong Kong SAR Government. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Lau, Stuart (30 May 2015). "Lau Wong-fat's son 'rushes' to take over Heung Yee Kuk". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Ng, Kang-chung (1 June 2015). "Heung Yee Kuk chairman steps into father's shoes saying he'll seek his advice". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Ng, Kang-chung; Cheung, Gary (23 June 2015). "The businessman who has very big boots to fill". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Lau, Kenneth Ip Keung". Webb-site Who's who.
- ^ Panama Papers: Future political star and Heung Yee Kuk lawmaker have British nationality, Hong Kong Free Press, 20 April 2016
- ^ a b "Kenneth Lau Declaration of Interest" (PDF).
- ^ Kong, Dimsumdaily Hong (2021-11-09). "Warehouse of smuggling boats seized by police last week sits on land owned by family of chairman of Heung Yee Kuk". Dimsum Daily. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ a b "How well can Hong Kong's affluent lawmakers represent ordinary residents?". South China Morning Post. 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Hong Kong male villagers' small-house rights fully restored after ruling reversal". South China Morning Post. 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Candice Chau (2021-01-15). "Hong Kong activist plans to appeal court ruling upholding special land rights for male New Territories villagers". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "'Act now before it's too late': fortune stick sounds alarm for Hong Kong in Year of the Ox ｜ Apple Daily". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Small-house policy: why not all Hongkongers are born equal". South China Morning Post. 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Indigenous villagers have housing privileges even if they're not Hong Kong residents, says rural leader". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
- ^ "When will Hong Kong's new land plans actually be completed?". South China Morning Post. 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
- 1966 births
- Living people
- Hong Kong people of Hakka descent
- People from Huiyang
- District councillors of Tuen Mun District
- Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories in Hong Kong
- Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2007–2012
- Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017
- Hong Kong racehorse owners and breeders
- Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong politicians
- Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
- HK LegCo Members 2016–2020
- HK LegCo Members 2020–2024
- Recipients of the Bronze Bauhinia Star