Asylum seekers in Hong Kong deserve our respect at the very least
Tony Read says people in Hong Kong need to shun prejudice and rekindle their generosity of spirit towards vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees
Whenever an article appears in the media about the plight of asylum seekers and asks for better treatment, you can expect an outpouring of scorn, racial discrimination and downright abuse from the public. When such blatant discrimination is combined with an ignorance of the facts, it is time for alarm.
When we disagree with another person's opinion, we should be able to speak out strongly in opposition without fear of recrimination or victimisation. We must not demonise, slander or vilify our opponents but instead treat them with respect.
Everyone needs and deserves respect, regardless of their views and situation. But respect is a reciprocal relationship; it is hard to respect people who violate your dignity and worth. Freedom of speech is a hard-won human right, but that does not give a person the right to use it to vilify others.
In Hong Kong, asylum seekers are damned without being heard.
When asylum seekers enter Hong Kong, we need to treat them with the same respect as everyone else. That is why we have a screening process designed to determine their status. We expect to be treated equally under the law and we expect to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Unless we honour those principles, regardless of circumstance and extend them to asylum seekers, we run the risk of devaluing them altogether.
The society we inherit is the society we build from the values we generate and honour. This is our responsibility as part of civil society and not the task of the government or human rights lawyers.
But the government does seem to play on these prejudices to bolster its position of not recognising refugees. In a society that is aspiring to world-class status and taking steps to be fair, tolerant of others, and providing equal opportunities in all aspects of business, it is invidious that refugees are still treated as personae non gratae.
The principle of respect needs to be embodied in the mechanisms used by the government to process asylum seekers through its unified screening mechanism and in considering resettlement. Even if Hong Kong has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and even if it has a policy of not accepting successful protection claimants within its borders, it still has a duty to conduct a fair and efficient screening process - and to do it with respect and consideration.
It has often been said that society will be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable people. Hong Kong has a good past record and has shown a generosity of spirit in its welcome of the Vietnamese boat people and in receiving a huge influx of Chinese fleeing the civil war on the mainland.
It would be a great loss if this were to be rejected in favour of a culture of discrimination and prejudice in the 21st century.
After all, the vast majority of its population are descendents of immigrants and should therefore extend a generosity of spirit to others facing the same horrors of war and threat to life that their parents and grandparents experienced.