Hong Kong’s Home Affairs Bureau concedes that safety is vital in youth tours to belt and road countries
Educators worry that students may be sent on tours to dangerous countries including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Pakistan
After announcing that NGOs can apply for funding for tours to places as dangerous as Syria and Afghanistan, the Home Affairs Bureau on Tuesday conceded that safety ought to be a primary concern in its effort to boost young residents’ understanding about “One Belt, One Road” countries.
It made the statement after educators expressed concerns about the scheme’s list, which includes 18 countries with travel warnings in place.
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The 18 potential destinations include Syria, which is currently engaged in a civil war and battles against Islamic State. The city’s Security Bureau issued a black warning for the country, meaning that people should avoid all travel to it.
Four countries – Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt and Nepal – have red travel alerts, which means travellers should adjust their plans and avoid non-essential travel there.
Thirteen others, such as Iran and Turkey, have yellow alerts, meaning residents should monitor the situation and exercise caution. Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine, which are not covered by the travel alert system, are also included in the funding scheme.
The scheme is for non-profit organisations to organise tours for those aged 15 to 29 to visit the mainland and 64 other countries in President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy – a trade and development blueprint that spans Asia and Europe.
Yip Wai-ming, principal of the St Louis School in Sai Ying Pun, told the Post that he was worried that his students could join tours to potentially dangerous destinations.
