Fleeing Hong Kong: increasing numbers of Hongkongers seeking safety abroad

Despite Hong Kong being one of the world’s safest cities, a number of its residents still claim asylum

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A growing number of Hongkongers are seeking refugee status overseas. Image: SCMP Pictures

Published: 11:30pm, 9 Jul 2016Updated: 5:00pm, 13 Jul 2016

With the mass migration of people displaced by war and instability moving inexorably to the top of the global political agenda, and as angst in official quarters over Hong Kong’s asylum system grows, data compiled by the UN has shed light on the small but rising number of people fleeing persecution here in Hong Kong.

On the eve of Monday’s United Nations World Population Day, figures analysed by thePost reveal a growing number of Hong Kong residents seeking – and, in some cases, getting – refugee status overseas. UN statistics showed that there were last year 33 refugees from Hong Kong.

According to the UN refugee agency’s most recent Global Trends Report, that number has more than doubled since 2011, when there were fifteen refugees from the city.

The rise is even more obvious in the number of asylum seekers – meaning pending cases. Whereas in 2011 there were only five people asking for protection abroad, that number stood at 79 in 2015, the highest in five years.

Some cases may include people who were resident in Hong Kong, but coming through the mainland

Kelley Loper, HKU law faculty

The Geneva-based agency’s reports, which are released every year, show the same happening with people from the mainland. Last year there were 212,911 refugees from the mainland along with 57,705 asylum seekers. That means a significant increase since 2011, when there were 190,369 refugees and 10,617 seeking asylum.

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