Refugee-screening system slammed as a confusing 'shambles'

The roll-out of a new system to screen refugees is mired in confusion and a lack of transparency, says a report out today.

More than half of 260 protection seekers canvassed say they urgently need clarification on how to file a claim, according to  Justice Centre Hong Kong, formerly the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre.

"No one knows how the new system  works and we're so afraid about our futures,"  asylum seeker Ansaari, from Somalia, said. "My first priority was to survive so I ran here, but now all I can do is wait and worry."

The government introduced the  Unified Screening Mechanism in March  after it was ordered by the Court of Final Appeal last year to  identify genuine refugees from the United Nations' refugee agency office in Hong Kong.

The new system brought under one process claims based on risk of a returnee facing persecution, torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It covers  about 6,000 cases.

But the report says there is no dedicated website or phone number to provide information about the process, while the information that is available is too technical for many claimants to understand. The government  also has not clarified whether successful claimants will be allowed to settle in Hong Kong or will be resettled elsewhere.

"This is a shambles,"  Justice Centre's executive director, Aleta Miller, said. "It seems this is a deliberate ploy to make it as difficult as possible for people seeking protection to access it."