South Asians in Hong Kong

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An anti-discrimination poster in Admiralty MTR station illustrates a few targeted South Asian cultures.

Hong Kong has a long-established South Asian population. At the end of 2001, there were more than 525,000 expatriates living in Hong Kong, in which more than 235,000 expatriates ^[1] were from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. More than 50,000 of the population is made up of Indians.^[2] Although they have taken roots in Hong Kong as far back as when most of the Indian subcontinent was still under British colonial rule, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. However, recently an increasing number of them have been naturalised as Chinese nationals.

1 History
2 Nationality and right of abode
3 Chinese Naturalisation
4 Demographics
5 Languages
6 References
7 Further reading
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

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South Asians were in Hong Kong since 1841. Sikhs soldiers participated at the flag raising ceremony at Possession Point, Hong Kong in 1841 when the Captain Elliot declared Hong Kong a British possession. Sikhs and other South Asians made many contributions to the well-being of Hong Kong. The earliest policemen in Hong Kong were Indians (Sikhs) and there are now quite a few South Asians, as well as Europeans, serving in the police force. The University of Hong Kong was founded on funds partially provided by an Indian Sir H.N.Mody, a close friend of the then governor. The 100-year-old Star Ferry was founded by Dorabji Naorojee. South Asians also founded the Ruttonjee Hospital, Mr. Belilos (a Parsee) is one the founders of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Mr. Kadoorie owns the China Light and Power Company. All these century old institutions are still in operation today. Mr. Harilela (a Sindhi) owns the Holiday Inn Golden Mile while Mr. Chellaram is in Shipowning. The top Hong Kong civil servant was once an Indian Mr. Harnam Singh Grewal (a Sikh), whose family history in Hong Kong dates back to late 1800s, was the Secretary for Transport and the Secretary for Civil Service in the 1980s.

[edit] Nationality and right of abode

Despite its participation in treaties for reduction of statelessness, the British government has not dealt with issues of nationality of South Asians in Hong Kong properly. Their respective motherlands have also been criticised as slow in addressing this matter. The difficulty in re-establishing their country of ancestry is multifold: Apart from wars for decolonisation, their places of ancestry have been engaged in numerous conflicts. Some of these people have been subjected to transportation as a punishment or sent to penal colonies, and their ancestries are often obscured this way. However, a number of South Asians have managed to be claimed by their countries of ancestry.

On the other hand, other Desi who have taken roots in Hong Kong fall in a different situation. Towards the end of the British administration, some of these South Asians (called 1st generation in this section) have had the status of British National (Overseas) (BNO), but this status ceases to be transmissible beyond a generation after the Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. This means that although their sons and daughters (2nd generation) born after the changeover will have BNO status, their grandchildren (3rd generation) do not, and are faced with the prospect of statelessness.

The UK also subjects these South Asians to immigration control, as in the case of many Hong Kong Chinese residents. As a result, they have right of abode nowhere else in the world, necessitating the inclusion of "Persons ... who, before the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, had the right of abode in Hong Kong only" in the definition of "Hong Kong permanent resident". (Article 24 of the Basic Law of HKSAR of PRC)

According to Article 18 of and Annex III to the Basic Law of the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China, the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China shall be applied in the HKSAR from 1 July 1997,when China resumed sovereignty in Hong Kong.Chinese nationality law began to apply with some explanations of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress..^[3]

[edit] Chinese Naturalisation

Although during the transition period, it has been alleged that China has been reluctant to grant citizenship to these South Asians, in fact many of them have applied for Chinese nationality with the Immigration Department successfully.

According to the HKSAR press release dated on May 18, 2005, the Immigration Department has received 4,372 applications for Chinese naturalisation since the Handover in 1997.It was said that has completed processing 3,999 applications of them have been processed and 95% of them were approved.

The largest single category of applicants were Indonesians of 1735, followed by 833 Pakistanis , 552 Indians and 547 Vietnamese. It was claimed that these nationalities also comprised a large group of approved applicants. However, the exact number of these South Asians is not well known as the Immigration Department is not allowed to split the statistics of number of naturalisation applicants by race, colour or ancestry.

Even if these South Asians do not seek naturalisation, their great-grandchildren (4th generation, see above paragraphs) will be Chinese nationals by birth because they are born of stateless 3rd generations who reside in Hong Kong, part of China (Art. 6, Chinese Nationality Law). (Of course, if a 3rd generation has children with anyone who has a nationality, the situation will be different.)

[edit] Demographics

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The South Asians of Hong Kong include various subgroups owing to their diverse geographic, linguistic, and religious origins. In colloquial usage in Hong Kong, they are often referred to as "Indians", regardless of their geographic origins. This is due to the fact that most South Asian communities in Hong Kong date back to before the partition of British India.

[edit] Muslims

Indian Muslims have been living in Hong Kong since before the partition of India-Pakistan. They immigrated to Hong Kong as police & army officers during colonial rule. Some of these Muslims trace their roots back to Faisalabad, Pakistan, but others originated from various places in both India and Pakistan.

[edit] Nepalese

Nepalese people in Hong Kong are mainly the children of ex-Gurkhas born in Hong Kong during their parents' service with the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas, which was based in Hong Kong from the 1970s until the handover. Large groups can be found in Shek Kong, Yuen Long District, one of the main bases of the British army. Many ex-Gurkhas remained in Hong Kong after the end of their service under the sponsorship of their Hong Kong-born children, who held right of abode. They often work as security guards for companies such as G4s, TNT, Guardforce, and Afc.

[edit] Sindhis

The Sindhi people in Hong Kong, part of the world-wide Sindhi diaspora originate from the Sindh, an area which now lies in modern-day Pakistan due to the partition of India. They form the largest group of Indians in Hong Kong, and are predominantly Hindu, unlike Sindhi in South Asia. The Sindhi community in Hong Kong are viewed as the wealthiest among the South Asian communities in Hong Kong, and have historically played an important role in trade, especially in import and export business with Africa and the Middle East.

[edit] Sikhs

A Sikh passenger on an MTR train.

A smaller group, numbering about 7500, Sikhs in Hong Kong originate from the Punjab region in India and Pakistan. They adhere to Sikhism, and unlike the Sindhi population, historically held occupations as guards, police officers, watchmen, and soldiers. The Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple serves the religious needs of the Sikh community.

[edit] Jains

There are about 500 Jains in Hong Kong, who immigrated to Hong Kong later than most other Indian groups. They mostly originate from the Indian provinces of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Their community grew rapidly during the 1980s. The Jains are most prominent in the diamond trading business. In 1996, members of the community founded a Jain temple, Shree Hong Kong Jain Sangh.

[edit] Parsis

Parsis are descended from a minority in India that traces their ancestry back to Persia (Pars) and they adhere to the Zoroastrian religion. Historically, they were one of the first group of Indians to settle in Hong Kong, prospering as traders, merchants, and opium shippers and as such the group now occupies a secure economic status. The number of Parsis remain relatively small; a 2002 survey counted less than 200 individuals, up from 80-90 individuals in 1952, which has led them to establish stronger ties with the larger Indian community in Hong Kong.

[edit] Others

Other Indian groups in Hong Kong include Tamils and South Asian Jews

[edit] Languages

The South Asians of Hong Kong are usually multilingual, with many attaining trilingual fluency or more. Most are fluent in both English and a mother tongue (such as Sindhi or Punjabi), and many are fluent in Hindi, and/or Urdu as well. In addition, some may also study Sanskrit or Arabic for religious reasons. The command of Cantonese is more variable; one 2006 survey of South Asian parents with children attending school in Hong Kong showed that more than 80% were illiterate in Chinese, while 60% could not speak Cantonese at all.^[4]

[edit] References

^ Immigration.HKSAR The First Five Years 1997-2002.
^ Overseas Indian Population 2001. Little India.
^ Explanations of some questions by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress concerning the implementation of the Nationality Law of the PRC in the HKSAR.Immigration Department.
^ "社工﹕南亞裔家長遇語言問題學校「你死你賤」缺支援", Ming Pao, 2006-07-24. Retrieved on December 11, 2006.

[edit] Further reading

Barbara-Sue White (1994) Turbans and Traders: Hong Kong's Indian Communities, Oxford University Press, Hong Kong.
Champa Detaramani and Graham Lock (2003). "Multilingualism in Decline: Language Repertoire, Use and Shift in Two Hong Kong Indian Communities". Journal Of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 24 (4): 249-273. [1]
Caroline Plüss (2005). "Constructing Globalized Ethnicity: Migrants from India in Hong Kong". International Sociology 20 (2): 201–224. [2]
Weiss, Anita M. (July 1991). "South Asian Muslims in Hong Kong: Creation of a 'Local Boy' Identity". Modern Asian Studies Vol. 25: pp. 417-453.