Hong Kong needs change of heart on asylum seekers, says refugee from Congo based in South Korea
Yiombi Thona points to low acceptance rate of claims made by asylum seekers in Hong Kong, saying screening mechanism must be improved
“Today, the problem is Syria, tomorrow we don’t know ... Don’t be selfish ... You might think that you are the number one country or the number one city, but that might change,” he said.
Thona worked as a national intelligence officer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but was forced to flee persecution in 2002. He was recognised as a political refugee in South Korea six years later, becoming a professor and a well-known human rights activist in the country.
“I think the Hong Kong system must change or be improved. The acceptance rate is very low ... It’s
an opaque system, and I don’t understand why,” he said.
Between 2009 and June, only 55 people had their claims recognised. Hong Kong’s current acceptance rate stands at 0.6 per cent, whereas internationally it is around 30 per cent.
“In East Asia, officials think that if they keep people in limbo, they will go away. But that’s wrong,” he said.
“If they see a person on a boat, they feel sorry for him,” Thona said, referring to photos of refugees seeking asylum in Europe. “But if they come here they will call them migrant workers.”
Asylum seekers in Hong Kong are not allowed to work, although some take up illegal jobs. They receive small allowances for housing, food and transport.
Thona said it was up to the government to change people’s perceptions on asylum seekers.
Instead of making them look like a burden on taxpayers’ pockets, they should be allowed to contribute to society, he said. “Let them work – they will work and they will also create jobs,” he said, noting that there were many educated asylum seekers.
Thona asked local people to bear in mind that “Hong Kong also has problems and needs international support”.
“We shouldn’t think just about economic cooperation; humanitarian cooperation should also exist,” Thona said.