Nepalese community being treated unfairly
Since October 28, Nepalese visitors and dependant Hong Kong identity card holders have had to apply for a re-entry visa before arriving in the Hong Kong SAR. This is very unfair.
There are more than 50,000 Nepalese in Hong Kong who hold permanent resident status in Hong Kong.
Only a fraction of them were involved in forging documents and making fictitious claims.
Because of that all Nepalese visitors have to suffer and apply for a visa in order to visit the HKSAR. This can take more than two weeks to process and upon arrival at Hong Kong Airport, they are only given a 15-day visa, which means that anyone wanting to stay for longer than this period, must apply for an extension of their visa.
This is a waste of time and a waste of money.
In Nepal, any tourist can apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport, which is very convenient for tourists. Why not apply the same rule in Hong Kong? What I find most surprising is that Nepalese dependant Hong Kong identity card holders have to apply for a re-entry visa before they travel, which means the visa they are holding is worthless. And they have to pay extra money for the visa. This is unacceptable.
Gurkhas have served Hong Kong for many years and they continue to serve the SAR. Members of the Nepalese community in Hong Kong work hard to earn a living in the SAR.
We serve the Government and yet that same government takes money from us.
I hope the administration will reconsider its decision and arrive at a compromise solution.
ARUNA GURUNG Kowloon
