Living in mini flats, partitioned spaces is now grim reality in HK

Hong Kong

FOR part-time furniture mover Kong Ngai-lam, 26, home is the bottom half of a bunk bed inside a tiny room that fits little else. Nearly 200,000 Hong Kong residents like him call a wire cage or bed in partitioned apartments their home.

Making housing more affordable was among outgoing Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying's top priorities when he took office in 2012, but his administration has been unable to rein in skyrocketing prices that have added to discontent in the city.

"Over the past four years, despite a number of measures by the current-term government which has successfully curbed external, investment and speculative demands, the difficulty in achieving home ownership remains an unresolved problem," Mr Leung said in his swansong policy addre…