‘Ray of hope’ as Hong Kong recognises first Syrian refugee in the city

Hong Kong has recognised its first Syrian refugee in the city, offering what rights advocates see as a rare “ray of hope” during a time of international controversy surrounding the acceptance of those displaced by war in the Middle East.

The Syrian, who travelled more than 7,000km to seek shelter in Hong Kong and had to wait for about a year for the refugee claim to be substantiated, cannot be identified by name or gender due to serious security concerns.

Rights lawyers and advocates hailed the rare case as a “ray of hope” for those who no longer believe that their protection claims can be fairly assessed in a city that has one of the lowest acceptance rates in the world for asylum seekers.

The Syrian refugee’s legal representative, human rights lawyer Patricia Ho of law firm Daly&Associates, said: “It is important that the refugee community get the message that genuine cases stand a chance of success. Many of the most desperate claimants remain concerned that their cases are assessed by persons who hold bias against them, so a ray of hope helps.”

The acceptance rate in Hong Kong stands at 0.6 per cent, whereas in Europe it reaches 60 per cent, with the global average at about 30 per cent. From 2009 to December last year, only 72 asylum seekers were recognised by the Hong Kong authorities. Many wait several years to have their claims screened.

While the Immigration Department has accused some refugees of using “delaying tactics”, lawyers and experts have described the local screening system as flawed and extremely slow, with an excessively high threshold.