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Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong
Since the 1970s, foreign domestic workers have been permitted to stay in Hong Kong to address the city's shortage of local, full-time live-in helpers.
As many as 235 domestic helpers lived in Wang Fuk Court before the blaze. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Indonesian helper battles trauma, faces job insecurity after Hong Kong fire

NGOs say they are bracing for more terminations among helpers as families begin to count the cost of their losses.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Helper who survived Hong Kong fire recovers in Philippines for Christmas

Indonesia

Indonesian helper who died in Hong Kong fire ‘was always there’ for others

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Philippines’ Marcos lauds helper returning home after deadly Hong Kong fire

Country’s top envoy in Hong Kong says Philippine president met Rhodora Alcaraz, praised her for role in saving employer’s baby.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr welcomes Rhodora Alcaraz at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

We want to stay in Hong Kong, say Filipino helpers who survived deadly blaze

Helpers who escaped inferno with children and elderly employers want to remain in city despite upheaval to their lives and emotional toll of tragedy.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Filipino victim in Hong Kong fire ‘planned to go home for good to be with son’

Maryan Pascual Esteban, who died with her five-year-old ward Hannah in the Tai Po inferno, was excited about heading home, friend says.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Burial orders issued for Indonesians killed in Hong Kong blaze

Consulate says it is working closely with Hong Kong authorities, leading to ‘swift handling of Indonesian nationals affected by fire’.

Officials from the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong have been working alongside the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle the repatriation of the nine nationals killed in the Tai Po fire. Photo: Jelly Tse
Indonesia

‘She loved us so much’: Indonesian family mourns mother killed in Hong Kong fire

Siti Khotimah was working to fund her children’s education when she died in the Tai Po fire. Her husband wants to see that wish fulfilled.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Exclusive | Indonesian team aims to get bodies of helpers killed in Hong Kong fire home soon

Filipino envoy in city also says Manila can move ‘quickly’ once Hong Kong has processed the necessary papers for worker killed in blaze.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Exclusive | Indonesian helper’s terrifying 3-hour ordeal as fire ravaged Hong Kong estate

Olive says she and her employer’s elderly parents spent an agonising three hours trapped in a smoke-filled bedroom before they were rescued.

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Olive and her employer’s parents were rescued at around 6pm on November 26. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Letters | It shouldn’t take a tragedy for Hong Kong to treat domestic workers fairly

Readers discuss the wave of support for migrant helpers in the wake of the Tai Po fire, professionals who volunteer their skills, and the educational value of play.

People mourn the domestic helpers who lost their lives in the Tai Po fire, at community prayers at Chater Road in Central on November 30. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Lunar

Hong Kong’s domestic helpers mourn deaths in Tai Po fire

Hong Kong

What does a city do after the unthinkable? It shows up

Near Wang Fuk Court, volunteers from across the city gathered to offer help, lay flowers and turn Tai Po into a place of shared care.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Editorial | Domestic helpers deserve praise for heroism in Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s domestic helpers should get equal attention for their recent heroism and daily efforts that help hold the community together.

People gathered on November 30 to pay tribute to the victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire. More than 200 foreign workers were employed and living with families in the housing estate before it became an inferno on November 26. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Filipino helper on her second day of work when Tai Po fire hit; escapes with baby

Rhodora Alcaraz, who is still in intensive care, has been hailed as a hero among Filipino workers in Hong Kong and by her own country.

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Rhodora Alcaraz is now in a stable condition but remains in the ICU. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Judge-led panel to probe deadly blaze as Hong Kong goes ahead with election

Death toll from Wang Fuk Court inferno rises to 156 after five more bodies found.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong fire will not deter Filipino helpers from working in city: minister

Philippines Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac says his government will also provide financial assistance to affected helpers.

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Indonesia

‘She asked me to forgive her’: Indonesian helper in Tai Po fire makes last call

Erawati leaves behind a six-year-old son who cannot understand why ‘mummy doesn’t call any more’.

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Erawati with her husband, Suyitno, and son, Doni. Photo: Suyitno
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Groups warn of bogus donation calls exploiting helpers’ deaths in Hong Kong fire

Workers’ rights organisation, three other concern groups urge public to refrain from donating directly to victims’ families, citing fraudulent appeals.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Students, workers, domestic helpers hit by Hong Kong fire get HK$20,000 payout

Injured residents will receive HK$50,000 if they spent up to six days in hospital, or HK$100,000 for seven days or more.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong fire death toll among Indonesian helpers rises to 9

Consulate makes announcement as government says 1,760 affected households have received HK$10,000 emergency cash handouts.

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Residents pay tributes and mourn the victims of the fatal fire in Tai Po. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Filipino helper who fled Hong Kong fire with girl anguished over dead neighbour

Reinalyn Niere, who shielded girl from falling embers as they fled, says she wishes she had been able to persuade neighbour to leave.

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Domestic helpers say prayers at their usual Sunday gathering spot on Chater Road in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Portraits of courage: helpers who stayed with their wards during Hong Kong fire

More than 200 domestic helpers worked in Wang Fuk Court, with nearly 80 missing and many more displaced along with employers.

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Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong steps up voter turnout efforts with video targeting minority residents

Indonesian-Chinese bomb disposal chief Raymond Suryanto joins officials in launching bilingual appeals to boost voter turnout on December 7.

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Hong Kong society

Philippines pledges bigger consulate-run shelter for helpers in Hong Kong

Community ‘very, very happy’ over promise to open larger facility than current 652 sq ft, three-bedroom unit that is often crowded.

Bethune House in Jordan, Kowloon. Besides the lack of capacity, some NGO-run shelters in the city are also struggling to stay afloat. Bethune House last year sought to raise HK$1 million to avoid closure. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong

For Hong Kong’s outsiders, zines offer what the city doesn’t – space, dignity and voice

At workshops and festivals, some are embracing DIY publishing as a slower, more human way to find connection and tell their stories.

A zine in progress by singer-songwriter Cheryl Chow, aka Cehryl. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Hong Kong society

Financial education stepped up for Hong Kong’s helpers to avoid dodgy loans

Advocacy groups note rising number of helpers taking high-interest loans, as NGOs, firms seek to provide more programmes in money management.

Hong Kong society

The lives of Hong Kong’s foreign helpers – and the challenges they face

Nearly 400,000 foreign domestic workers serve in Hong Kong’s households, far from their homes and loved ones. But when faced with difficulties such as pregnancies, help is not always within reach. From cramped living spaces to limited access to health and social services, the Post looks at their experiences and examines the laws and policies that shape their lives.

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