Screening policy review to stop abuse by torture claimants

The screening mechanism for torture claimants will be reviewed to speed up the assessment process in light of the number of system abusers, an immigration official has said.

Assistant director for enforcement and litigation Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that in the past four years not one of the claims of 250 claimants alleging they had been tortured had been substantiated.

He said more asylum seekers were taking advantage of international treaties to extend their stay.

But Annie Lin, of the Society for Community Organisation, said most asylum seekers knew little about the Convention Against Torture, and initially sought help from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

By the time they realised they could make a claim in relation to torture, most had already overstayed and faced the risk of being detained by the Immigration Department.

The number of torture claimants - many from South Asian and African countries - tripled last year to 1,584, nearly half of whom were illegal entrants. In January this year, 235 people filed applications, 185 per cent more than for January last year.

Mr Chan said 93 per cent of claimants applied after being in the city for an average of 17 months. Most made their first claims to the UNHCR and turned to the Convention Against Torture after being rejected.