A VIETNAMESE boat family, whose stay in a detention centre has been lengthened by a government appeal and a backlog at court, said they were desperate to avoid another Christmas inside and have asked for leave.
The Government has appealed against a High Court re-screening order for Le Tu Phuong, his wife and their four daughters, aged between three and 14. Because of a court backlog, the appeal could not be heard until April.
The Les cannot be re-screened until the appeal is heard, and must remain in a special security section at the Whitehead Detention Centre because of threats from other detainees.
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has offered the family accommodation in a church-owned flat at St Raphael's Catholic Cemetery, Cheung Sha Wan, pending the appeal hearing.
A senior lecturer in law at Lingnan College and the director of a well-known Hong Kong company have offered to stand surety for the family.
An application for bail, including affirmations from Mr Le and his wife that they would not abscond, were supplied this week to Whitehead Detention Centre Superintendent Jasminder Singh Kang.
