The agony of Hong Kong’s asylum seekers, stuck in limbo ‘neither alive nor dead’
Campaigners say the mental health of thousands is deteriorating as they wait for the Immigration Department to determine their fate
The city, which does not accept refugees permanently but resettles a tiny proportion in a third country, will interview claimants in complex cases at least five times over a period of years, causing them huge levels of stress.
Application processes are often delayed because there is no interpreter available and some asylum seekers suggest the strongest cases are being rejected because the political situation in the claimant’s home country is especially complicated and volatile.
Peter Maina, head of the Hong Kong Refugee Union, said he knew many asylum seekers who had become increasingly dependent on alcohol as their claim processes dragged on and he was seriously concerned for the well-being of his friends.
“The system turns you into someone who cannot think straight, who has become a nobody,” he said. “I know one guy who was rejected and I was afraid about how he reacted. He became very anti-social.