Pakistani businessman and community leader Khan Mohammad Malik had something on his mind yesterday, so he called a press conference. More than 20 media personnel turned up to quiz the chairman of the 1,000-member Pakistan Islamic Welfare Union about his agenda: passports for ethnic minorities and immigration treatment of arrivals from the sub-continent at the airport.
Mr Malik said he was a Hong Kong policeman for six years until he was shot in the head during a clash with Chinese Red Guards at the border in 1967. He now runs an export-import business from Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui.
What's on your mind? We are very upset now. I appeal to the chief executive of the Special Administrative Region. We do not know whether the British or SAR government are going to give passports to those of us holding only British National (Overseas) passports [BNO] or whether we will become stateless. We need more information. We do not know which country we can go to after June 30. If the British give us passports we hope they will give us some assistance to move to Britain.
Hong Kong is a democracy. I appeal to the Director of Immigration because so many Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis come to the airport and get visas for 15 days, two days or are deported from the airport. Why are they doing this? Their entry should be good for three months.
What is your background? My ID card says I am 58 and my BNO says I am 53. When I joined the Hong Kong police in Pakistan in 1961, they said it would be better for my pension if I put my age up five or six years. I was 15 or 16 at the time and a student. After Queen Elizabeth visited in 1958 and requested police for Hong Kong they recruited us and I wanted to get out from Pakistan. After I was injured, my pension was only $500, hardly enough to buy water.
Don't you agree with Indian and Pakistani community leaders that ethnic minorities want to stay in Hong Kong? If the SAR does not want to give us their passport, maybe we can go to Britain. If we can get the British passport, we will go to Britain.