Hong Kong British Army veterans: 'We have become the forgotten soldiers'
Hong Kong's British Army veterans find the city's role in the military history of its former colonial ruler is news to today's servicemen
Hong Kong British Army veterans visiting London in their fight to win right of abode found their role in the former colonial ruler's history forgotten as they bought poppies for Remembrance Day, which falls today.
"We saw a captain selling poppies at Holborn tube station. We approached him and made our donations. When we told him that we were from Hong Kong and have also served in the UK army, he didn't believe us," said Roger Ching Yuen-ki, chairman of the British-Chinese Soldiers' Benevolent Association, who was leading the delegation of 13.
His colleague Alain Lau Sing-wah then showed his military pin yet the captain still looked unsure. "Nowadays, few in the young generation know about the existence of Hong Kong in the UK's history. We feel a bit sad because we are being abandoned," Ching said.
To help raise awareness of Hong Kong veterans' past contribution to the United Kingdom, the delegation gave interviews to historians at the National Army Museum and held a fund-raising dinner at the Houses of Parliament.
The group was also on a push to get British right of abode for all Chinese Hong Kong veterans who served in the British Army.
Under the British Nationality Selection Scheme launched in 1990, 50,000 Hong Kong families were given British right of abode.
Among the places allocated to members of the disciplined services, 500 were given to military personnel under a points system based on criteria including rank. An estimated 1,600 members of the former Hong Kong Military Service Corps and the Hong Kong Royal Naval Service missed out.