Unregistered voters, Wi-fi woes led to long wait for Indonesian workers at polling stations in Hong Kong: election official

Many Indonesians were left disappointed after being unable to cast their votes in the three polling stations across Hong Kong

A report has been sent to Jakarta about migrants in Hong Kong who wanted to vote after polling stations closed on Sunday, said an official

Reading Time:3 minutes

Votes from Indonesians living in Hong Kong started to be counted at 2pm on Wednesday. Photo: Raquel Carvalho

Published: 9:21pm, 17 Apr 2019Updated: 9:54pm, 17 Apr 2019

A report on an incident involving migrants who stormed a polling station on Sunday in Wan Chai, after voting for Indonesian elections had closed, has been sent to Jakarta, Hong Kong-based electoral officials said on Wednesday.

Many other Indonesians living in the city were left disappointed after being unable to cast their votes in the three polling stations set up across the city. Some complained of long queues, unclear instructions as well as bureaucratic obstacles.

There are over 180,000 Indonesian nationals living in Hong Kong – most of them are female domestic workers. About 54,000 had confirmed their intention to vote in advance.

About 54,000 Indonesians in Hong Kong had confirmed their intention to vote in advance. Photo: Raquel Carvalho

While the presidential and legislative elections were held in Indonesia on Wednesday, overseas workers in the city were given the chance to cast their ballots earlier, on Sunday. But votes only started to be counted at 2pm on Wednesday – and by 8pm the results had not been announced.

In Jakarta, early unofficial results showed incumbent President Joko Widodo beating his rival, former general Prabowo Subianto.