Victims of torture and persecution come to Hong Kong in desperation, having fled traumatic experiences which would incapacitate most of us. However, life for them here is incredibly tough. Many of them have slept outside for months, babies are suffering from malnutrition and children are deprived of school.
The response to the physical and psychological illnesses many of them suffer as a result of their experiences is inadequate. Hundreds have been held in detention for long periods of time without access to legal representation.
All these people want is a chance to have their claims for protection and asylum heard fairly. Instead they are forced to wait for years because the local office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is underfunded and understaffed.
The number of asylum seekers building up in Hong Kong is a direct result of the government's refusal to set up an independent body to assess refugee claims efficiently and properly. Hong Kong needs to take its human rights obligations seriously and protect valid refugee claimants. This would have the added bonus of giving it control over its immigration policy - rather than leaving the UNHCR struggling to cope and then complaining about the results.
SARAH CORNISH, Yau Ma Tei
Ho scores own goal