Businessman seeks Hong Kong summit of regional Indian communities

The chairman of the Hong Kong Indian Chamber of Commerce wants the city to host a summit of Indians based in the region, and he is pressing the idea at a global gathering of the diaspora that is now under way in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Local businessman M. Arunchalam hopes to organise a Hong Kong-based summit next summer so "Indians in Malaysia, Manila as well as Japan, Korea and China can all meet in the same place".

Arunchalam has garnered the support of local community organisations such as the Hindu Association. He hopes Indian government ministers at the Gujarat event can help with the summit, which could be used to promote Indian cultural products such as yoga and traditional medicine in the region.

The size of the Indian community in the region is comparatively small at about 300,000. The total Indian migrant population is 25 million, of whom three million live in the Middle East.

Mr Arunchalam says Hong Kong would be the perfect spot to host such a summit, given its geographical location and the fact that Indian passport holders do not need a visa to visit.

Among the issues that are of interest to the Indian community and its business leaders are the absence of a double tax agreement between Hong Kong and India and the need for more flights than the current 60 a week between the two places.