The Wall Street Journal: Hong Kong Changing the Way It Handles Refugees
Jul 16th, 2013 | Housing, Immigration, Media, Welfare | Comment
Ming Pao report on refugee slums
Jul 10th, 2013 | Advocacy, Housing, Media, News, Welfare | Comment
English Translation
Ming Pao reports on refugee slum without toilet
Jul 10th, 2013 | Advocacy, Housing, Media, News, Welfare | Comment
English Translation
Legal opinion on the Ping Che slums
Jul 5th, 2013 | Advocacy | Comment
The media interest on the Ping Che slums intensifies as concerned citizens query whether International Social Services (ISS) followed guidelines and abided by the law in authorizing the disbursement of government funds for these refugee slums. South China Morning Post have also uploaded the AFP video – now available here – that has been uploaded on over 30 websites worldwide. On Wednesday Vision First director Robert Tibbo visited the Ping Che slums and his comments are reported below in view of his considerable legal expertise:
Having seen the shacks in this compound, it is clear that the conditions are unacceptable. Human beings, in particular the asylum seekers, should not be living in these conditions. I question whether any of these residential premises are permissible in this area, whether this is zoned for residential living. It is clear that the asylum seekers have no choice about the extremely unhygienic conditions in which they live, including having toilets in their kitchens.
There are structures in Ping Che that clearly appear to be unsafe and dangerous. It is hard to believe that ISS and the Social Welfare Department have previously come down here and approved these living conditions. I have serious doubts that they ever came down here to approve these appalling living conditions. I would be interested to see the land title documents for these addresses and whether building permits for these residential living units even exist. I am curious as to who did the electrical work and whether the electrical work open wiring was installed by licensed electricians. Clearly this living environment for the asylum seekers comes as a great shock as Hong Kong is one of the world’s richest cities.
The Security Bureau and ISS have taken up responsibilities for the government in distributing aid, the Social Welfare Department oversee the living conditions for asylum seekers in the Ping Che area. These organizations, in my view, stand in a position of trust towards the asylum seekers, a position that I would describe as a fiduciary position. Looking at these terrible living conditions, I have my doubts about whether the government, Social Welfare Department and ISS have carried out their fiduciary duties towards asylum seekers.
This week TVB invited ISS director Ms. Panares to Ping Che for an interview, assuming she is proud of her housing program and willing to accompany journalists on an inspection. They were mistaken. Ms. Panares declined. She insisted on an interview in the comfort of her Mongkok office and offered the baffling excuse that, “Ping Che is overexposed!”
It is important to note that at 930am the day after TVB Pearl exposed the slums on the evening news (20 June 2013, World Refugee Day), Ms. Panares and a delegation of ISS officers pounded on that compound’s metal door unannounced. The sleeping refugees were shocked to open the door and see a dozen dignitaries had been dragged out of beds on a damage control mission.
For the first time ISS suggested refugees pair up to secure village rooms for which ISS would pay deposits and advance rent. It is also reported that ISS offered, “Whatever you need, refrigerators, stoves and gas cylinders … just make a request and we will give it to you.” The refugees were surprised by this sudden thoughtful attention after being ignored, cheated and discriminated against for years. As one witty Bangladeshi observed, “ISS treated us like VIPs … Very Inhuman Persons!”
There are reasons to doubt that humanitarianism is ISS’ core motivation at this stage. Vision First is of the opinion that ISS agreements in the slums and the landlords’ contracts and electricity demand notices, having contained incorrect information, might constitute evidence of offenses falling under the Theft Ordinance (sections 14-19).
In particular, we query whether these documents might evince:
- Theft by deception, with risk of prejudice to the government and tax-payers;
- Theft by false accounting, with information stated for false accounting purposes;
- Conspiracy to defraud, with parties involved in an elaborate scam for years.
Eastweek Magazine on refugee slums
Jul 3rd, 2013 | Advocacy, Food, Housing, Immigration, Media, Personal Experiences, Refugee Community | Comment
English translation of article
難民打工籌錢救病女 一日黑工換十四月監
Jun 28th, 2013 | Media | Comment
http://www.pentoy.hk/%E6%99%82%E4%BA%8B/c190/2013/06/19/7433/
今日所有報紙，只有《南華早報》報道了這件事。來自斯里蘭卡的Dilan，因為在香港尋求難民身份期間，為天生心漏的孩子籌付醫藥費，在餐廳洗碗賺$200一日，被拘捕並控逾期居留期間做黑工，被判以重刑14個月監禁。更嚴厲的是，連上訴期間保釋外出，亦於昨日被高等法院駁回。
You either rob or you find a job. He took up employment, and was arrested for it.
協助Dilan的Vision First總裁Cosmo Beatson，指目前難民每月只收到$1200租務援助，另加每日$30食物費用。他反問：「你可以用三十蚊生存到一日嗎？如果你唔夠錢用，一係去搶、一係去打工。他們選擇了去打工，為什麼咁都要被人拉？」義工Lai Win Phyu，記述陪Dilini去醫院照超聲波。同是來自斯里蘭卡，Dilan的太太Dilini已懷孕。患有糖尿病的她，一個人帶著兩歲大的女兒滯留香港。Dilini的孩子天生心漏，即心裡穿了一個洞。她們去醫院，是為了尋找證據，證明Dilini的危險情況，希望可以讓醫生在法庭的求情信中寫一段，說明她需要人照顧，求法庭不要判她的丈夫入獄，或起碼上訴期間可以保釋。沒有香港人身份，令她在香港求診極度困難，到終於有醫生好心為她寫了報告，Dilini滿懷希望來到法庭，法庭卻對內容不屑一顧，認為她只須向坊間協助難民的NGO求助，孩子無需爸爸。即使到入境處見主任，入境處的保安對著她這樣一個孕婦，亦如見乞兒見狗一樣呼喝。義工記述，曾見過法官向一個難民父親大喝：「你的妻子為何懷孕？你不應該在這裡有孩子！你們這些人，就是香港的負累。」
打一日工 14個月監禁 上訴期間不准保釋
Dilan為了籌錢給心漏的孩子，冒險打黑工洗碗。這樣一宗輕微到極的「罪行」，竟然被重判14個月監禁！而當然， Dilan這種人，多數無法保釋——保釋條件之一，是你在本地要有連繫的親人，以確保你會不會潛逃。作為難民的Dilan一家，當然無親無故，亦不會令法庭信納他可以保釋。事情多麼諷刺：把Dilan關起來是怕他潛逃，事實上他潛逃了你又會很在乎？難道政府不是希望，這些難民、申請庇護的人，走得離香港愈遠愈好？
每天$30食物費，每個月$1200租津，不准打劫，更不准打工。打劫會拉，打工也會拉，判刑分分鐘可能差不多。程序就是，無身分證所以孕婦也不可以看醫生；法律就是，無家難民唯一的收容所，便是監獄。Dilan被關之後幾晚，懷孕Dilini在家中穿了羊水，身邊無人，只有兩歲的女兒。她失去知覺了幾個鐘，又或者一晚，但無人知曉。最後她終能叫了救護車，但到達醫院時，她子宮的感染已危及嬰兒安全，醫生必須為兩條命施以緊急手術。義工Lai Win Phyu的記述中，最後並沒有說到孩子最後怎樣。法庭記者沒有問。我們也許亦不想知道。
Fernando Cheung calls Welfare Panel meeting at Legco
Jun 25th, 2013 | VF updates, programs, events | Comment
ISS retreats from the slums at the sight of TVB camera
Jun 25th, 2013 | Advocacy | Comment
Vision First warmly welcomes any TV crew to film our outreach work – by suprise
Under Chinese gods
Jun 22nd, 2013 | Advocacy, Media | Comment
A Bangladeshi refugee rests under an altar for Chinese gods in front of his shack rented from a Chinese landlord inside a quarters at the rural Ping Chi in Hong Kong’s New Territories June 19, 2013. According to Vision First, a local non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting Hong Kong-based refugees, about 150 Bangladeshi asylum seekers and torture claimants reside in that area, suffering one of the worst conditions among thousands of refugees in the territory. Refugees in Hong Kong are not allowed to work, with the government paying HK$1,200 ($154) rent directly to the landlord. – REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Bangladeshi refugee Mdmozibur Rahman, 42, pictured beside his Indonesian wife Muslimah in their shack