Dozens Of HK People Seeking Asylum In Canada: Report

Forty-six Hong Kong people are seeking asylum in Canada, according to the country's Globe and Mail newspaper.

A report on Monday said many of the SAR residents had taken part in anti-government protests and had cited police brutality and harassment, along with the fear of unjust prosecution, as the basis for their claims.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed source, which it said had knowledge of the matter, as saying the 46 Hong Kong people filed asylum claims in Canada between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.

It said the claims, which are still pending, had been made across the country at airports, border security bureaus, immigration offices, and refugee and citizenship offices.

In 2018, Germany granted refugee status to two pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong. Ray Wong and Alan Li, both in their twenties, had skipped bail in 2017 and fled to Germany.

The pair had been facing rioting charges over the 2016 Lunar New Year clashes in Mong Kok, which erupted following a dispute over the clearance of food vendors.