Four days into her hunger strike, May Yip Mee-yung fainted and was hospitalized yesterday.

Health apart, her last flicker of hope for the street was dashed by the development chief Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor who confirmed redevelopment of the area will continue as planned.

The day began with Yip, accompanied by members of the H15 Concern Group, sitting outside the government offices in Central at 8am, hoping to meet with Lam.

Yam arrived at about 8.30am and, taking Yip by the hand, asked her to stop the strike and take care of her health.

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Yip, a former shop owner in the street, told reporters that Lam left her no choice.

"She has forced me to a dead end. I'll go to hospital only if she vows to change her ways," she said.

"I wish they can keep Lee Tung Street," she added.

Weakened by hunger, Yip fainted around noon and was given a glucose injection before being taken to Queen Mary Hospital but not without wailing non-stop: "I don't want to go!"

The group later said Yip is in good condition on a saline drip, but she vowed to continue her hunger strike.

Yip began the hunger strike on December 23 when she found that workers had started to tear down the tenement buildings on the street despite the Town PLanning Board's schedule to discuss the group's alternative plan in two weeks time.

The development chief said the buildings were not worth keeping and had little historic value.

She said stopping the plan would jeopardize the city's future planning.

"If the Town Planning Board stops any project because someone has filed a counter-proposal, then Hong Kong would have difficulty in its planning projects," Lam said.

The authority's plan, which was announced on December 20, will turn the street into a Wedding City shopping arcade.

Lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu- hung said he and others involved will try to meet with Lam and the authority to discuss the possibility of salvaging the street

But he foresees an uphill battle. "After exhausting all options, May has to resort to a hunger strike to make herself heard.

"If it is not resolved, this will cast deep shadows over the authority's 200 redevelopment projects," Cheung said.

The group and activists held a candlelight vigil outside the government offices in support of Yip, called for the preservation of Wan Chai's community network and speedier people- based redevelopment. Some vowed to join Yip's hunger strike.