Exit of opposition lawmakers leaves Hong Kong NGOs, civil society lamenting lack of allies in Legco
- NGOs say they miss having opposition lawmakers to raise their issues, obtain data from officials
- Groups avoid approaching pro-establishment camp for help because of ‘fundamental differences’
Members of the non-profit Justice Centre watched in dismay two weeks ago as Hong Kong lawmakers sparred with officials over a bill affecting immigrants claiming refugee status.
Local human rights advocates and lawyers had warned that the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2020 went too far by granting the authorities wider powers to lock up the claimants and allowing immigration officers to carry firearms at a dedicated detention facility.
The authorities said the bill was meant to end abuse of the city’s system of dealing with immigrants who file non-refoulement claims seeking refugee status, saying they could not be sent home for fear of being tortured or persecuted.
But at the Legco meeting on February 5, some lawmakers said the bill did not go far enough, with independent pro-establishment lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu demanding that all non-refoulement claimants be locked up pending the outcome of their applications.
Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing suggested capping the legal aid fund for claimants, something the government had not proposed.
The Justice Centre, set up in 2007 to help refugees and others, issued a statement afterwards, saying it was disappointed that lawmakers had resorted to “misleading and discriminatory rhetoric” that implied asylum seekers were illegal immigrants and criminals.