Syrian refugee who fled more than 7,000km to Hong Kong applies for asylum seeker status
But human rights group says the city's policy on the issue is too restrictive
A Syrian national who fled the country's civil war and made his way to Hong Kong has filed for asylum seeker status.
The Immigration Department confirmed to the Post that the Syrian has filed a non-refoulement claim - including both torture and refugee applications - with the government.
The claim is currently pending and will be given the same treatment as other applications. No further details of the case have been revealed.
The news came after shocking images of a three-year-old Syrian refugee, lying lifeless on a beach in Turkey, went viral and spurred calls for countries to extend more help in what many are calling the largest humanitarian crisis in decades.
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"The fact there are Syrian refugees who have travelled all the way to Hong Kong is testament not only to their extraordinary resilience and tenacity, but also to the level of desperation and devastation experienced by Syria's people," said Alexandra Chen, a child trauma specialist with the UN and a native Hongkonger.