Parents of mainland abode-seekers plan to appeal to the United Nations over Beijing's reinterpretation of the Basic Law to deny them the right to live in Hong Kong.
The Parent Association for Right of Abode will send three delegates to the meeting of the UN Committee on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva later this month. About 200 members of the association attended a fund-raising meeting at a community centre in Tsuen Wan yesterday.
Among the delegates will be two solicitors who represent abode claimants who have filed appeals. The Court of Final Appeal is expected to hand down rulings on abode-related cases involving more than 5,000 mainlanders later this year.
Association vice-chairman Ngan Siu-lai said yesterday the group would seek an audience at the UN meeting. 'In section 10 of the covenant, it mentions that each family must be given protection and assistance, something which the Government has failed to do,' she said.
The association hopes to raise $40,000 to $50,000 for the trip.
Another group, called the Right of Abode Committee, staged a signature campaign in Chater Garden, Central, in support of the parents.