The Standard - Clamor in Legco to divert spending away from 'bogus refugees'

More than HK$10 billion has been spent on "bogus refugees" over the past decade, prompting Legislative Council members to advocate that funds be reallocated to grassroots communities truly in need.

Official figures show that since 2014, spending on non-refoulement claimants over 10 years has equaled the cost of building 10,000 public housing units.

Humanitarian aid constitutes the largest portion of this expenditure at HK$5.36 billion while medical expenses have reached HK$600 million.

According to data provided by the Security Bureau to Sing Tao Daily, a sister publication of The Standard, the SAR has received 27,754 non-refoulement claim applications since 2014, with only about 350 being established, accounting for roughly 1 percent of the total.

Despite this, spending on reviewing claims and handling related appeals over the past decade has hit HK$3 billion.

After being denied non-refoulement protection, claimants often file for judicial review to delay deportation.

Over the past 10 years, 26,535 have appealed, and 17,771 sought judicial reviews, costing the administration HK$1.24 billion in legal aid.

Once legal processes are complete and claims are rejected, "bogus refugees" are deported at costs hitting HK$246 million from 2014 to 2024.

Elizabeth Quat Pei-fan said there is a need to expedite the handling of judicial reviews and appeals to quickly deport individuals whose claims are not established.

"We really shouldn't be wasting this money and should reserve public funds to support grassroots communities," she said.

According to the International Social Service Hong Kong Branch, each adult claimant can receive a housing allowance of HK$1,500, while minors receive HK$750, along with monthly allowances of HK$300 for miscellaneous expenses and HK$1,200 for food.

Over the past decade, there have been 178,000 instances of claimants utilizing the Hospital Authority's medical services, with fee waivers totaling HK$623 million.

http://t.cn/A61Xum58