Father Gan Haowang urges Carrie Lam to resolve the right of abode issue on the 11th day of the hunger strike

District 18 News

Written by: Zeng Fengting

2021-01-18 17:04

Last update date: 2021-01-18 17:05

Father Gan Haowang, who has always been concerned about human rights issues, has been on a hunger strike outside the Political Consultative Conference from the 8th of this month. Today (18th) has gone on a hunger strike until the 11th. In addition to trying to get Ugandan refugees adopted by Indian families to contact their original families, It is also to fight for the mainland children of Hong Kong people to live in Hong Kong and reunite with their parents.

Today, he joined the Committee on the Right of Abode and members of the Parents Association for the Right of Abode for Children to sit in outside the government headquarters to protest the government's request for an interpretation of the law to the National People's Congress in 1999, preventing many Hong Kong people from reuniting with their children's families living in the Mainland.

Father Gan Haowang pointed out that in the past, the issue of the right of abode had been discussed with the Security Bureau, but the incident was not properly handled. Therefore, he is now seeking to meet with Chief Executive Carrie Lam or the staff of the secretariat.

Father Gan Haowang has been on a hunger strike outside the government until the 11th day.

(Photo by Zeng Fengting)

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Father Gan Haowang pointed out that the members have fought for 22 years on the issue of Hong Kong people's mainland children living in Hong Kong and their parents being reunited.

Every year, there is a sit-in outside the government headquarters on this matter.

He believes that the government's interpretation of the law to the National People's Congress in those years undermined Hong Kong's legal system and hindered the citizens' right to family reunion.

Over the years, they have actively communicated with the Security Bureau, and the Security Bureau has promised to handle it properly, but the incident has not stopped.

Father Gan Haowang mentioned that the government had proposed the "Over-age Children Policy" in 2011, which meant that children under the age of 14 living in the Mainland and one parent is a permanent resident of Hong Kong, the Mainland children can come to Hong Kong with a one-way permit.

About 70,000 children have applied for one-way permits to live in Hong Kong through the "Over-age Children Policy". However, children over 14 years old (currently estimated to be about 70,000) are not within the scope of the policy. Many families have been reunited indefinitely.

"At that time, we pushed the overage team and held a meeting with the Security Bureau. It is expected that within three years, children under the age of 14 will fall into the sun. Later, they will consider leaving the age 14 and older (using the balance of the one-way pass), but ask the Security Bureau beforehand. Then I don’t know, I have to look at the government."

The priest believes that the parents who were waiting for their children to come to Hong Kong are getting older and need someone to take care of them. If they can let their children live in Hong Kong, the problem of care can be solved.

He also pointed out that according to the statistics of the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong has experienced negative population growth for the first time in 60 years. It is believed that if the government is open to accept these children, it will also bring benefits to the society. Therefore, it will continue to fight for their right of abode and persist to the end.

Mainland children who have come to Hong Kong for many years still hold street paper: the identity card is owed to me by the government

The 89-year-old mother-in-law Lin was present at the scene. She holds a Hong Kong permanent identity card. However, under the policy of the year, only one child can come to Hong Kong to live, and the rest will stay in the Mainland. She has been fighting for the right of abode for her children for many years. But still to no avail.

Another Ms. Tsai is a mainland child of a Hong Kong citizen who fought for the right of abode in 1999. After the judgment that year, she held street paper for many years, and now she still needs to go to the Immigration Department for renewal every few weeks or months.

Ms. Tsai pointed out that she had asked the Immigration Department many times in the past about the reasons for not being able to obtain an ID card, but she has not yet received an explanation. "The government owes me the ID card!"

The right of abode incident occurred on January 29, 1999. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal made a ruling on the right of abode for Hong Kong people’s Mainland children (Carina Ng case). All Hong Kong permanent residents’ children born in the Mainland, regardless of whether the father or mother was a Hong Kong resident at the time of birth , Can enjoy the right of abode.

However, after the decision of the Court of Final Appeal, the then Secretary for Security Ip Lau Su-yee claimed that the ruling would force 1.67 million Hong Kong residents’ mainland children to flood Hong Kong within 10 years.

In June of the same year, the Hong Kong government requested the National People's Congress for the first time to interpret the law and change the right of abode system.

Father Gan Haowang went on a hunger strike outside the General Assembly in the cold winter until the end of the month, hoping to fight for the mother-daughter reunion of Ugandan refugees

Father Gan Haowang sits still on the 21st to fight for the right of abode for Hong Kong residents and mainland children for 21 years

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