Lau Wong-fat
Lau Wong-fat, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP (Chinese: 劉皇發; 15 October 1936 – 23 July 2017) was a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He had been the long-time chairman of the Rural Council, the most powerful organ representing the interests of the New Territories indigenous inhabitants from 1980 to 2015. He was also a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1985 to 2016. From 2009 to 2012 he was a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He had also served as the member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Regional Council and the Tuen Mun District Council.
Dr the Honourable Lau Wong-fat | |
|---|---|
劉皇發 | |
| Non-official Member of the Executive Council | |
| In office 21 January 2009 – 30 June 2012 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Tsang |
| Succeeded by | Cheung Hok-ming |
| Member of the Legislative Council | |
| In office 30 October 1985 – 25 August 1988 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Cheung Yan-lung |
| Constituency | Regional Council |
| In office 12 October 1988 – 22 August 1991 | |
| Appointed by | Sir David Wilson |
| In office 9 October 1991 – 30 June 1997 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Constituency | Rural |
| In office 22 February 1997 – 8 April 1998 (Provisional Legislative Council) | |
| In office 1 July 1998 – 30 September 2004 | |
| Preceded by | New parliament |
| Succeeded by | Lam Wai-keung |
| Constituency | Heung Yee Kuk |
| In office 1 October 2004 – 30 September 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Ip Kwok-him |
| Succeeded by | Ip Kwok-him |
| Constituency | District Council |
| In office 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Lam Wai-keung |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Lau |
| Constituency | Heung Yee Kuk |
| Chairman of the Regional Council | |
| In office 1 April 1995 – 31 December 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Lam Wai-keung |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk | |
| In office 1 June 1980 – 31 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Wong Yuen-cheung |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Lau |
| Chairman of the Tuen Mun District Council | |
| In office 1985 – 1 April 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Ricky C. C. Fung |
| Succeeded by | Leung Kin-man |
| In office 6 January 2012 – 31 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Leung Kin-man |
| Succeeded by | Leung Kin-man |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1936 Lung Kwu Tan, Tuen Mun, British Hong Kong |
| Died | 23 July 2017 (aged 80) Tuen Mun, Hong Kong |
| Cause of death | Chronic condition |
| Nationality | Hong Kong Chinese |
| Political party | FSHK (1991–93) Liberal Party (1993–2008) Economic Synergy (2009–12) BPA (2012–17) |
| Spouse | Lau Ng Mui-chu |
| Children | Kenneth Lau |
| Residence | Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | Ling Shan College |
| Occupation | Politician and businessman |
| Lau Wong-fat | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 劉皇發 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘皇发 | ||||||||||||
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He began to involve in New Territories rural politics as a village representative in the Tuen Mun Rural Committee and climbed to the head of the villagers as the chairman of Heung Yee Kuk in 1980, where he kept the position for 35 years until he passed it on to his son, Kenneth Lau. He was appointed member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee and played an instrumental role in ensuring rural interests in the drafting of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. He was first indirectly elected to the Legislative Council through the Regional Council functional constituency in 1986 and he held his seat through Heung Yee Kuk constituency from 1991 to 2004 and from 2008 until 2016 when he was replaced by his son. From 2004 to 2008 he was indirectly elected through the District Council constituency. He was also the chairman of the Tuen Mun District Council from 1985 to 2011 and the chairman of the Regional Council from 1995 to 1999.
In 2009, he was appointed by Chief Executive Donald Tsang to the Executive Council, the highest advisory council of the Hong Kong government where he served until 2012. For this, together with his extensive ownership of land and property, he was known as the "King of the New Territories" (新界王) or the "Land Emperor of the New Territories" (新界土皇帝). He died in 2017 at the age of 80.