We want to work, say asylum seekers
Protesters gather at ferry pier then march to Legco over living conditions as UNHCR reveals 51 million people have been displaced this year
Asylum seekers rallied at the Star Ferry pier in Central yesterday, protesting over their poor living conditions and asking for the right to work.
The protest came as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that there were now more than 51 million people worldwide who had been displaced from their homes - the highest number since the second world war.
Some 200 asylum seekers beat drums, danced and chanted, as they gathered for about 1-1/2 hours at the pier before marching to the Legislative Council offices on World Refugee Day.
"If you keep silent you're an easy target for abuse," said Vincent Kolo, an activist with NGO Socialist Action. "It used to be easier to malign refugees, but now people are hearing the opposite side of the story."
Refugees are not allowed to work in Hong Kong while waiting for their asylum claims to be processed. That means they must subsist on food handed out by the government worth about HK$40 a day, and they receive just HK$1,500 per month towards rent. Many refugees end up living on the margins, in rundown settlements with no running water.
There are an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 asylum seekers in Hong Kong - mostly from Africa, Central Asia and South Asia. Some are fleeing political persecution, others torture and some could be economic migrants.
