'HK Should Tighten Rules For Refugee Screening'

A group has urged the government to tighten the screening procedures for non-refoulement claimants in Hong Kong, and wants the applicants to be sent back to their home countries if they miss scheduled meetings with immigration officials more than once.

Around 30 people from a group called No Fake Refugees, held their protest outside the government's headquarters at Tamar, calling on the Security Bureau to address what they call a "fake refugee" problem in the city.

They claimed that a huge majority of the claimants in Hong Kong are fake refugees, and said they are wasting public money and creating social problems.

The group's convenor, Dominic Lee, claimed it had been reported that the government was not able to process around 250 non-refoulement claims because the claimants had gone missing.

He also told RTHK's Jimmy Choi that the Hong Kong government should ask the central government to allow the SAR to withdraw from an international UN treaty which obliges the SAR to provide assistance to torture victims.