Ethnic minorities make joint application for Chinese citizenship
The non-Chinese residents hope the move will help them successfully submit their applications
Five members of ethnic minorities who call Hong Kong their home collectively applied for Chinese citizenship at the Immigration Tower yesterday, fearing they would be pressured to drop their applications if they went alone.
Their fear stemmed from past experiences of applicants who were told not to bother as they had no chance of success.
"Ethnic minorities often tell us that officers try to dissuade them from applying, such as by saying they need to have Chinese relatives to get citizenship, which just isn't true," said Fermi Wong, minority-rights group Hong Kong Unison's executive director and the organiser of the joint application.
"We thought if we went as a group, they'd be less likely to try those deterrent tactics."
Hong Kong-born charity worker Jeffrey Andrews, 28, said when he tried to apply in 2007, an officer told him if he had "no Chinese in my blood", he had no chance.
"[But] I contribute to society, I speak Cantonese, and I have lived in Hong Kong all my life," said Andrews, an ethnic Indian.