The government's Race Relations Unit is investigating a claim that Filipinos waiting for a delayed flight from Hong Kong to the resort town of Laoag recently had to spend the night in the restricted zone of the airport while two Chinese passengers were provided free hotel rooms.
The complainants claim that eight Filipino domestic helpers spent 24 hours at Chek Lap Kok three weeks ago after technical problems with a CR Airways flight, handled by Hong Kong International Airport Services (HIAS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dragonair.
They were given meal coupons and $100 or $200 cash, but two remaining Chinese passengers were given accommodation at a Yau Ma Tei hotel on July 25, according to staff of the government-funded Mobile Information Service for New Arrivals, based in the restricted zone of the airport.
A spokesman for HIAS said the women had been offered hotel accommodation but refused it, saying they preferred to spend the night at the airport with one helper whose employment visa had already expired.
'A party of 36 Chinese tour group passengers all cancelled their flights, while two others were given hotel rooms ... the Filipino passengers were offered hotels, but all of them refused and preferred to stay in the terminal,' he said.
But Tarhata Polo, a co-ordinator of the service, said: 'One of the ground staff told us the workers chose to stay at the airport rather than the hotel. That is ridiculous - who would refuse a hotel to stay in the uncomfortable airport? The passengers all told the managers the next morning that they had never said they wanted to stay at the airport and had asked for hotels.'
