A COUPLE born in Hong Kong who were due to be deported from Britain yesterday failed to turn up at the airport and instead applied for political asylum.
Cheung Ka-fu and wife Cheung Kit-ying were ordered to report to immigration officials at Manchester airport yesterday morning for a flight to Hong Kong.
But the couple made a last desperate bid to stay in what has been their home since 1984, although campaigners admit they have little chance of avoiding being deported in a few days.
They privately admit they have no good grounds for asylum. There is a danger that if they are rejected and later appeal, they could be held in detention in the UK for a considerable time before eventual deportation.
Mr Cheung, who has a gastric ulcer, considered claiming he was unfit to travel but Home Office officials said they would then deport his wife anyway.
Their children - Alan, 16, and Helen, 11, both born in Holland - are expected to stay in Britain to continue their education, although the Government has said that it will deport them too.