HK to take measures to curb repatriation claim abuse

More and more foreigners are making claims for non-refoulement protection in Hong Kong in recent years, with more than 10,000 pending cases so far, a legislator said.

Legislative Council Member Elizabeth Quat said as of Aug. 31, a total of 10,244 cases of non-refoulement protection claims were left undone, quoting Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok after their meeting on Monday.

This led to an expense of over 644 million HK dollars (about 83 million U.S. dollars) a year as estimated by the government, including allowances for living, legal aid, and wages for extra manpower to work on the cases, Quat said.

Some claimants involved in fighting, drug trafficking and illegal working in Hong Kong, which, she said, was affecting the region's order and posing threats to citizens' safety.

To tackle the problem, the bureau intended to join hands with other countries to intercept illegal immigrants, simplify and quicken the processing of those cases, and put a cap on legal aid allowances.

Quat said in some of those cases, claimants were not from a country that has war or massive human rights persecution. They, however, were trying to prolong their stay in Hong Kong in the name of torture claim, which was supposed to be made when people who fear torture or inhumane treatment at home.

The claimants were mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. Endi