HONG KONG: The shutters of several thousands of Link stores and clinics at more than 30 public housing estates came clattering down yesterday afternoon in a mass protest against rent increases.

Walking past the lights-out stores, many shoppers said they back tenants' calls for lower rents, as they find the goods getting more expensive since early this year.

But some expressed worries that the three-hour closure of some clinics may have affected patients.

Henry Yeung Chiu-fat, the president of the Hong Kong Doctors Union, said almost 200 doctors took part in its strike from 1 pm to 4 pm.

He admitted that the strike was a "symbolic" one, inasmuch as it was staged during the usual break hours of estate clinics.

"We want to minimize the impact on patients," he said, adding that "more doctors are willing to pitch in at this time of the day."

Chan Wing-shing, the chairman of the Hong Kong Public Housing Estate Shop-operators Union, said about 3,000 stores across 31 estates joined its action yesterday.

Participating tenants at wet markets shut their doors from 12 pm to 3 pm while those at malls remained closed from 1 pm to 3 pm, said Chan.

He urged the Link Management to cut rents by at least 30 percent to enable small-sized businesses to survive.

Chan warned that some tenants may stage a hunger strike and stop working for a whole day if their demands are ignored.

The Link has been renovating many premises taken over from the Housing Authority since 2005.

The company said, in the next few years, it will spend HK$2.6 billion renovating its properties.

From this year to 2011, 11 malls will have a facelift, at an expense of HK$1.2 billion, the firm said.

But a makeover of malls seems not to have pleased all. A spate of complaints about sharp rent increases has been voiced in recent years.

Yeung said he sees some estate clinics forking out rents that are threefold to fourfold greater than before.

Chan, meanwhile, said a 1,000-square-foot eatery at Shek Wai Kok Estate has been asked to pay a rent of HK$42,000 a month, up from HK$16,000 a month.

He said the store owner is overwhelmed by the proposed massive hike in the rent and is bargaining for a better deal.

Dragon Law Wing-tak, a Chinese medicine practitioner at Ngai Hoi Dispensary at Lok Fu Shopping Centre, said the rent of his 900-square-foot store leapt to about HK$70,000 a month since June - up from around HK$30,000 a month before renovation of the mall.

"I'd rather not have any facelift. Only residents nearby will shop here. The renovated mall still won't be able to draw shoppers from other districts," he said.

Alice Tang Tung-ying, 41, a shopper at the mall, said she is in favor of the strike.

"It may just have a small effect, but it is still better than sitting back and doing nothing," said the nearby Ka Keung Court resident.

"Everything is getting more expensive, especially fresh food at wet markets," she said. "It now costs me about HK$80 to buy ingredients for cooking a meal for my five-member family, up from around HK$50 to HK$60 earlier this year."

But she raised concerns that the three-hour strike may have caused inconvenience to some patients.

"They may have to take a longer walk to seek medical help in other places," she said.

A 79-year-old Wang Tau Hom Estate resident surnamed Leung said the strike did not affect him much, but added that he is worried that some patients may be disappointed when they see clinics closed on arrival.

The Link reached a deal with four medical and dental groups last Tuesday, saying that they accepted market-level rents but that rents should be assessed by an independent party.

The groups include the Hong Kong Medical Association, the Hong Kong Dental Association, the Practising Estate Doctors' Association and the Association of Licentiates of the Medical Council of Hong Kong.

But Yeung said his union is upset about the agreement, so it continues to call for lower rents.

(HK Edition 11/13/2009 page1)