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Hong Kong's 'shameful' treatment of refugees exposed

Mojibor, a 42-year old refugee from Bangladesh, holds his four-month old child in the village of Ping Che, Hong Kong on June 25, 2013. Mojibor and other asylum seekers in Hong Kong are legally forbidden to work, and dwell for years in decrepit housing on meager aid while awaiting a determination on their refugee status.

Hong Kong (CNN) -- On the surface, Hong Kong transmits an image of prosperity, comfort and convenience.

But beyond the façade of pristine skyscrapers and bustling shopping malls, a darker life exists for some of the territory's newest residents.

Deep into Hong Kong's New Territories, close to the border with Mainland China, lies Ping Che, a decrepit village that has become a prison for many of its inhabitants.

One of them is Arif, 26, a wiry, long-haired asylum-seeker from Bangladesh. His house, barely more than a few slabs of sheet metal propped against decaying beams, runs along open sewers. Flies circle near the improvised toilet -- basically a hole in the kitchen floor. The water is dirty and the electricity supply unreliable.

 

Cosmo Beatson (far right), executive director of Vision First, a refugee aid organization, gives a pep talk to a group of Bangladeshi refugees in the slum village of Ping Che on June 25, 2013. "When it dawns on refugees what they're stuck in, they're in shock," he says.

With only a shoddy air conditioner salvaged from a garbage dump, he mostly wilts in the humid summer weather and freezes in the winter cold. One night, while sleeping, part of the roof dropped onto his head. "I need to live in a better place," he says, with a hint of irritation.

Arif's nightmarish living situation is typical for the hundreds of people who arrive in Hong Kong each year to escape torture or persecution in their home countries. But that's when their troubles begin. While they wait for their claims to be screened, in a process that can take years -- and usually ends in rejection -- asylum seekers are barred from working, forced into crumbling housing and are given just enough food to survive.

According to some rights activists, this is intentional. "The government tries to dissuade refugees from seeking protection by intentionally causing hardship," explains Cosmo Beatson, who directs Vision First, a Hong Kong refugee aid organization. "It's not humane."

With no way to join society and no way to return home, these survivors languish in miserable situations like Ping Che, hoping for a reprieve that often never comes.

"Many of us came here to save our lives," says Arif. "But I think better die. Better die than live like this. How we're living is not life."

'I lost everything'

Four years ago, Arif was a pharmacology student in the Khulna district of Bangladesh. Described by Beatson as a "really smart kid," Arif ran a business to support his family. But his success drew the envy of terrorist groups in the war-torn country, who burned his vehicle, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him if he didn't pay huge sums of "protection" money.

Fearing for his life, he enlisted the help of an agent, who promised to take him to Ireland, his "dream country." Instead, the agent stole his belongings and left him stranded in Hong Kong.

"I lost everything," says Arif. "When I learned I was in Hong Kong, I was so shocked."

Arif was safe, in a technical sense. Like many other countries and territories, Hong Kong is bound by international laws preventing the deportation of refugees to countries where they risk harm. Refugees are allowed to file claims for protection when they arrive, and may legally remain until their status is officially determined. Those who are successful may be relocated to a third country, where they can attain legal status. In theory, Hong Kong is a big "waiting room."

In practice, Hong Kong is more of a prison.

Left with unpleasant memories of the 1970s influx of Vietnamese war refugees, which swamped its support systems, the Hong Kong government does everything it can to discourage refugees from integrating into its society.

To prevent economic migrants from trying to claim asylum, the government bans refugees from working -- those caught working face 22 months in jail. Instead, it forces refugees like Arif to depend on a non-profit, the International Social Service (ISS), for welfare.

Every month, ISS gives Arif a HK$1,200 ($155) stipend for rent -- which barely covers his room in Ping Che, with nothing left for deposits or utilities. Like other refugees, he gets HK$900 ($116) worth of food -- a bit more than US$1 per meal -- which must be picked up from faraway collection depots and then carried home.

The aid amount has not been adjusted for inflation since 2006. "I've watched the 7 kg bag of rice turn into 3 kg," says Beatson, who works closely with the villagers. "People are going hungry."

Salim is a 43-year-old asylum seeker from Bangladesh who lives with Arif. Nine years ago, he escaped Bangladesh after terrorists seized his retail business and tried to kill his family. But, he says, "Hong Kong is not a better life."

 

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