Hong Kong's ethnic minorities complain of racial profiling by police

Tsim Sha Tsui tailor Kamran Ryed says he doesn't want to go near Nathan Road any more.

The Lahore-born tailor is sick of being stopped and frisked by police patrols on the bustling Kowloon thoroughfare popular with South Asian merchants.

"I'm starting to hate them," the Hong Kong permanent resident of 10 years says of the patrols he claims have stopped him 10 times in the past month, carrying out body searches in public or asking him to empty his pockets.

Ryed, 43, says the stops are so frequent they have become a nuisance. And his local wife never gets checked, he adds.

"From my experience, ethnic minority residents tend to face more frequent ID checks," Annie Li Man, a campaign officer at Unison, which campaigns for ethnic-minority rights, says.

"It makes ethnic minorities feel discriminated against, which leads to distrust between them and the police. Those targeted may think twice before going to the police to report a crime."