The government has dismissed those fears as "complete nonsense," saying the legislation, which will come into effect on Aug. 1, merely aims to screen illegal immigrants at source amid a backlog of asylum applications and does not affect constitutional rights of free movement.
"What is concerning is that in hastily pushing this bill forward, the government has chosen to ignore civil society groups that have flagged legitimate concerns," said Michael Vidler, a lawyer with Vidler & Co Solicitors. The Security Bureau said the law would be applied only to inbound flights and target illegal immigrants, expressing disappointment at the "unnecessary misunderstanding" caused by HKBA.
The government says there are currently 13,000 refugee claimants in Hong Kong and that it wants to tackle the backlog. Currently, asylum seekers can be detained only if they break the law or for deportation, for a "reasonable" period.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.