Diplomats applaud group speaking out for migrants

A fledgling aid organisation putting the city’s ethnic minorities and migrants front and centre has won the backing of consulates amid a sustained attack by the authorities and local officials.

Move4Migrants founded by Hong Kong-born Indian teen Pradyumn Dayal, designed to help boost the welfare of the city’s migrants and minorities in a push to allow them to make a better contribution to the city and society.

Consuls general and other diplomatic representatives are expected to turn out to support a walkathon hosted by the organisation later today. The walk will set off from the Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple and finish at the Kowloon Mosque bearing a Move4Migrants flag. The walkers will cross Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry, symbolically, started by ethnic minority businessman more than a century ago.

Dayal, who is currently juggling commitments including his studies in the United States, said the event will not only refocus the spotlight on the disadvantaged youth of the ethnic minorities and migrants, but also cut across cultural and religious barriers to unite communities.

“I grew up from a privileged background, but while working on medical camps as a student I realised a lot of migrants don’t have proper access to a lot of facilities in Hong Kong,” the 16-year-old said. “Service is very one size fits all, if you can’t speak the language you don’t get the support. I began the charity half a year ago. I want to support migrants through a four-pronged approach that includes education, athletics, career development and health.”

Migrants have recently become the subject of heated political debate owing to a rising backlog of applications for asylum and torture grounds needing to be screened - which officials have attributed to an influx of individuals abusing the system. Critics complain that such rhetoric serves to scapegoat migrants for systemic and societal issues and frictions in the SAR.

Canada’s top diplomat in Hong Kong, James Ian Burchett gave his backing saying the organisation’s aims was vital to the understanding and importance of migrant communities across the territory.

“Hong Kong and Canada both continue to benefit from the diversity and inclusiveness of people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.

Also throwing weight behind the group, Ghufran Memon, Pakistan’s consul general, who outlined the wider benefits of supporting migrants. “Hong Kong has been very supportive to the ethnic minorities and migrants, non local people, it is a very tolerant society and a very tolerant government. I am happy with the treatment of ethnic minorities but there is still a lot that can be done and there are certain issues which have been taken up with the host government to facilitate migrants and bring them into the main fold of society including how no productivity can be turn into productive members of society.”

The British consulate said equality of opportunity was a basic human right, and that discrimination of any type was “simply unacceptable”. “We will always offer what support we can to any organisation working to make progress on these issues,” a spokeswoman said

The US consulate said it supported efforts to increase rights for ethnic minorities in the city.