Communications in Humanities Research
- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences
Communications in Humanities Research
Vol. 7, 31 October 2023
Open
Access | Article
Historical and Modern Catalysts of the HK Refugee Dilemma
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Abstract
To explain the causes of local “anti-refugee” sentiment propagated throughout local Hong Kong, this article delves into historical deadlocks – notably the cultural revolution and influx of Vietnamese boat people – that led the city’s attitudes to transition from relatively lax policies into strict regulations and negative media portrayal still present today. Yet, the present-day Hong Kong protests are brought into context to explain the slight generational gap in refugee sentiment. Finally, the Hong Kong refugee dilemma is brought into context compared with similar deadlocks in Norway and Germany to suggest an optimal mode of action moving forward.
Keywords
refugee, Hong Kong, immigration
References
1. Hong Kong Immigration Department. (n.d.). Facts and statistics. Immigration Department. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/facts/enforcement.html
2. Administering and delivery of assistance for Non-refoulement Claimants. International Social Service Hong Kong Branch . (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.isshk.org/en/our_services/detail/21/#:~:text=The%20non%2Drefoulement%20claimants%20are,and%20submission%20of%20required%20documents.
3. Mark, C. (2007). The ‘Problem of People’: British Colonials, Cold War Powers, and the Chinese Refugees in Hong Kong, 1949–62. Modern Asian Studies, 41(6), 1145-1181. doi:10.1017/S0026749X06002666
4. Peterson, G. (2008). To be or not to be a refugee: The International Politics of the Hong Kong Refugee Crisis, 1949–55. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 36(2), 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/03086530802180924
5. Bun, C. K. (1990). Hong Kong’s Response to the Vietnamese Refugees: A Study in Humanitarianism, Ambivalence and Hostility. Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, 18(1), 94. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/hong-kongs-response-vietnamese-refugees-study/docview/1311778323/se-2
6. Ramsden, M., & Marsh, L. (2013). The ‘right to work’ of refugees in Hong Kong: Ma v director of immigration. International Journal of Refugee Law, 25(3), 574–596. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eet036
7. Ng, I., Choi, S. F., & Chan, A. L. (2018). Framing the issue of asylum seekers and refugees for Tougher Refugee Policy—a study of the media’s portrayal in post-colonial Hong Kong. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 20(2), 593–617. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0624-7
8. Mathews, G. (2018). Asylum seekers as symbols of Hong Kong’s non-chineseness. China Perspectives, 2018(3), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.8132
9. Finseraas , H., & Kotsadam , A. (2017). Does personal contact with ethnic minorities affect anti-immigrant sentiments? evidence from a field experiment. European Journal of Political Research, 56(3), 703–722. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12199
10. Liebe, U., ⨯ Jürgen Meyerhoff, Kroesen, M., Chorus, C., & Glenk, K. (2018). From welcome culture to welcome limits? Uncovering preference changes over time for sheltering refugees in Germany. PLoS One, 13(8)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199923
Data Availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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- Volume Title
- Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries
- ISBN (Print)
- 978-1-83558-037-0
- ISBN (Online)
- 978-1-83558-038-7
- Published Date
- 31 October 2023
- Series
- Communications in Humanities Research
- ISSN (Print)
- 2753-7064
- ISSN (Online)
- 2753-7072
- DOI
- 10.54254/2753-7064/7/20230784
- Copyright
- 31 October 2023
- Open Access
- This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited