Indonesians in Hong Kong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Indonesians in Hong Kong |
|---|
| Total population |
|
102,100 (2006) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Various |
| Languages |
| Indonesian, Javanese, others[1] |
| Religions |
| Islam[1] |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Various ethnic groups in Indonesia |
Indonesians in Hong Kong, numbering 102,100,[2] form the second-largest ethnic minority group in the territory, behind Filipinos.[3] Immigration from Indonesia to Hong Kong began as early as the 1960s, when Indonesian Chinese seeking to escape discrimination and anti-Chinese pogroms relocated to Hong Kong and Taiwan;[citation needed] most Indonesians coming to Hong Kong today are pribumi who arrive under limited-term contracts for employment as foreign domestic helpers. Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong comprise 2.4% of all overseas Indonesian workers.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Employment
In 2006, it was estimated that 102,100 Indonesians worked in Hong Kong,[5] of whom between 80 and 90% are estimated to be women;[6] this represents a growth of almost 250% from the 41,000 recorded six years earlier,[7] while during the same period, the number of domestic helpers from the Philippines declined. Some newspaper reports attributed this to the fact that Filipinas were "harder to manage", and additionally to the better training of Indonesian domestic helpers. Employment agencies in Indonesia sending workers to Hong Kong typically provide at least three to six months of training in household work, including a basic course in Cantonese, whereas similar agencies in the Philippines provide only fourteen days of training.[8] Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong are represented by two unions, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (IMWU) and Coalition of Indonesian Migrant Workers' Organisations (KOTKIHO, Koalisi Organisasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia Hong Kong).[9]
According to organizations representing migrant workers, police intimidation of migrant workers is also a problem.[10] Underpayment of wages and employer abuse is also a problem; Indonesian workers are often paid as little as HK$500 to HK$2000 per month.[11] The Hong Kong government threatened to expel Indonesian labourers in Hong Kong in response to the Indonesian government's inaction on crimes committed against ethnic Chinese women during the May 1998 riots in Jakarta; however, in the end, they did not act on this threat.[12]
[edit] Remittances and savings
Indonesians in Hong Kong send remittances less frequently than their co-ethnics in Japan and Singapore, or Filipinos in Hong Kong;[13] they were also somewhat less likely than Filipinos to use a bank to send such remittances, instead relying on friends or other informal networks such as hawala.[14] Contrary to the trend in Latin America, where remittances from relatives working in the United States are often used to meet daily expenses or for other consumption,[15] in one 2005 survey, more than half of Indonesian workers in Hong Kong reported that their families used their remittances to start businesses, each creating between one and five jobs.[16]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- Davis, Bob. "Direct Deposits: Migrants' Money Is Imperfect Cure For Poor Nations: Earnings Sent Home From U.S. Fuel Increased Spending But Not Much Investment; Thugs Extort Cash by Phone", 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- Hugo, Graeme (September 2000). "Indonesian overweas contract workers HIV knowledge: A gap in information" (PDF). United Nations Development Program: Southeast Asia HIV and Development Project. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- (November 2005). "Remittances - global opportunities for international person-to-person money transfers" (PDF). Inter-American Dialogue.
- Villalba, Noel (2005). "The Impact of MSAI Adult Education Programme on Poverty Reduction". Asian South Pacific Bureau of Education/Migrant Forum in Asia. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- "Could Indonesian maids replace Filipinas in Hong Kong?", Pacific Business News, 2004-09-07. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- (2000). "Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Hong Kong". US Department of State.
- (September 1998). "Indonesia: The Damaging Debate on Rapes of Ethnic Chinese Women" (HTML). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (2005-05-15). Indonesian Consulate should fulfill its responsibility as protector of Indonesian citizens. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- (Indonesian) "Ribuan BMI di Hong Kong Protes Standar Gaji (Thousands of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong protest pay standard)", Media Indonesia Online, 2006-11-30. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Radio International Singapore 2006-02-25
- ^ Media Indonesia Online 2006-11-30
- ^ US Dept. of State 2000: Section 5
- ^ Hugo 2000: 5
- ^ Media Indonesia Online 2006-11-30
- ^ Villalba 2005
- ^ US Dept. of State 2000: Section 5
- ^ Pacific Business News 2004
- ^ IMWU 2005-05-15
- ^ US Dept. of State 2000: Section 5
- ^ Media Indonesia Online 2006-11-30
- ^ HRW 1998: Introduction
- ^ Orozco 2005: 15
- ^ Orozco 2005: 24
- ^ Wall Street Journal 2006-11-01
- ^ Villalba 2005
[edit] Further reading
- Ford, Michele (2001). "Indonesian women as export commodity: notes from Tanjung Pinang" (PDF). Labour and Management in Development Journal. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- Sim, Amy S.C. (2004). "The Cultural Economy of Illegal Migration: Migrant Workers Who Overstay in Hong Kong" (PDF). Department of Sociology, University of Hong Kong. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- "Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong", Radio International Singapore, 2006-02-25. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
[edit] External links
| Hongkongers | ||||||
|
||||||
