South Asians in Hong Kong
Total population | |
---|---|
101,969 Non Resident Nepali | |
The numbers of Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans were not individually broken out in the 2006 By-Census Thematic Report on Ethnic Minorities, from which the above statistics originate. The total population of "Other Asians", which may include members of those two groups, was 7,851. |
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Ethnicity in Hong Kong |
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South Asians are part of the Hong Kong society. As of the 2021 by-census, there were at least 101,969 persons of South Asian descent in Hong Kong.[1] Many trace their roots in Hong Kong as far back as when the Indian subcontinent was still under British colonial rule and as a legacy of the British Empire, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. However, recently[when?] an increasing number of them have acquired Chinese nationality.[citation needed]
Nationality and right of abode
South Asians in Hong Kong include citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and a small number of
British nationality
According to the statistics of the Republic of India's High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora, among Hong Kong residents there are 22,000 Indian citizens and 28,500 non-citizen Persons of Indian Origin (people with origins in
Unlike the majority people of Chinese descent, who were seen by the incoming Chinese administration as always having been Chinese citizens, the ethnic minorities, including South Asians, would be left only with BN(O) status, which amounted to effective statelessness due to the lack of guarantee of returnability to the United Kingdom or anywhere else and the lack of ability to pass the status on to descendants beyond one generation.
In the end, the British government formally agreed to grant citizenship to any BN(O), BDTC, or other British subject who had no other citizenship on 4 February 1997. Thus, most stateless people of Indian origin were able to obtain British citizen passports.[5] However, confusion over the interaction of British and Indian nationality laws effectively rendered this promise useless in roughly 200 cases, all minors who had acquired Indian citizenship at birth and later became BN(O)s by registration. Indian nationality law provides that any Indian citizen acquiring foreign citizenship by naturalisation or registration loses his citizenship of India; only Indians who acquired foreign citizenship by reason of birth could hold dual citizenship. The Indian government stated that people who had acquired BN(O) status by birth remained Indian citizens until age 18. However, BN(O) status is not acquired by birth, meaning that every single Indian adult or minor who registered as a BN(O) lost his Indian citizenship. Notwithstanding that, the British Home Office used the Indian government's statement as a basis for denying full British citizenship to people who were minors on 4 February 1997; the Home Office misunderstood India's dual citizenship provisions to mean that they were still entitled to Indian citizenship on that date, when in fact they were not.[9] More than a decade after the handover, they have not naturalised as Chinese citizens; instead, they continue to hold only BN(O) passports in hopes of being able to attain the full British citizenship that was promised to them.[6]
Chinese nationality
Nationality | Applications | Approvals | Approval rate |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 15,518 | 12,658 | 81.6% |
Pakistani | 4,536 | 3,411 | 75.2% |
Indian | 3,224 | 2,487 | 77.1% |
Vietnamese | 1,593 | 1,115 | 70.0% |
Filipino | 570 | 387 | 67.9% |
Others | 5,595 | 5,258 | 94.0% |
A small proportion of Indians have availed themselves of
The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China began to apply in the HKSAR when it was established on 1 July 1997 in accord with Hong Kong Basic Law Article 18 and Annex III, with some differences from the application of the same law in mainland China, due to explanations of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.[11] That put the Immigration Department in charge of administering the Nationality Law within the SAR.
Although China did not agree to a blanket grant of citizenship to South Asians settled in Hong Kong, it empowered the
Other high-profile South Asians such as aspiring politician
Immigration Department statistics provided to the Legislative Council at various times show that from July 1997 to April 2005, only 552 Indian citizens applied for naturalisation as Chinese citizens, while from May 2005 to November 2012, nearly five times as many (2,672) applied. In total, among the 3,224 Indians who applied for naturalisation from July 1997 to November 2012, 2,487 (77.1%) had their applications accepted.
Those who are born in Hong Kong to stateless parents are entitled to Chinese nationality at birth under Article 6 of the Chinese nationality law.
Languages
The South Asians of Hong Kong are usually
Among respondents to the 2011 Census who self-identified as Indian, 37.2% stated that they spoke English as their usual language, 4.6% Cantonese, and 57.9% some other language. With regards to additional spoken languages other than their usual language, 52.0% stated that they spoke English, 30.7% Cantonese, and 7.0% Mandarin. (Multiple responses were permitted to the latter question, hence the responses are non-exclusive.) 10.8% did not speak English as either their usual language nor an additional language, while the respective figures for Cantonese and Mandarin were 64.7% and 93.0%.[19]
Occupational history
Some famous Indians are Hormusjee Naorojee Mody, Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, Hari Harilela and Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee who arrived independently in the course of trade from Bombay, Gujarat and Karachi (Sindh).
In the pre-war period, most of the Indians took part in the army. Before the
After the war, the number of Indians taking up positions at government sections had declined as most of the Indians were no longer citizens of the
More Indians stepped into the fields like international companies, banking, airlines,
Life in Hong Kong
The Indians scattered and worked in different areas of Hong Kong. Some of them are permanent citizens. They are one of the
Diversity of work
For most Indians in Hong Kong, occupations vary according to their education level and family status. The majority of them are managers, administrative officers, and specialists in technological fields like engineers.[22]
Positions | Indians | Pakistanis | Nepalese | Working force of HK |
---|---|---|---|---|
Managers and Administrative officers | 31.2% | 9.2% | 1.1% | 10.7% |
Professionals/ assistant professionals | 22.3% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 20.9% |
Clerk, tertiary industry | 18.1% | 14.2% | 20.7% | 31.3% |
Craftsmanship / Machine control related | 4.9% | 24.4% | 29.2% | 17.2% |
Non technological fields | 23.2% | 45.2% | 44.6% | 19.5% |
(Source: “香港南亞裔概況”, the Census and Statistics Department, 2001)
The percentage of Indians earning less than $4,000 per month or more than $30,000 per month is higher than that in the total working force of Hong Kong, or other South Asian nationalities. This reveals a
Salary range | Indians | Pakistanis | Nepalese | Working force of HK |
---|---|---|---|---|
<4000 | 11.9% | 2.9% | 7.3% | 10.4% |
4,000-9,000 | 24.7% | 51.4% | 41.1% | 32.8% |
10,000-14,999 | 15.6% | 27.8% | 37.1% | 23% |
15,000-19,999 | 9.8% | 6.4% | 11% | 11.5% |
20,000-24,999 | 8.2% | 4.5% | 2.2% | 7.8% |
25,000-29,999 | 4.2% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 3.4% |
≧30,000 | 25.6% | 5.8% | 0.6% | 11.1% |
(Source: “香港南亞裔概況”, the Census and Statistics Department, 2001)
Labour legislation in Hong Kong
The Employment Agencies Administration of the Labour Department is responsible for administering Part XII of the Employment Ordinance and the Employment Agency Regulations.[23] They co-operate with some Individual Consulate Generals in Hong Kong to process contracts for workers while the absence of the participation of India may make it more difficult for the Indians to get a job in Hong Kong through the institutions.
Local Indians have integrated well in Hong Kong. They are not only physically rooted in Hong Kong, but also a part of Hong Kong society. They engage in talk shows, dramas, art exhibitions or TV programs. Also, there is a group of Sikhs who set up the Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Educational Trust for the local Indians.
History
Historic links between the India and Hong Kong can be traced back to the founding days of British Hong Kong.[24][25]
Sikhs soldiers participated at the flag raising ceremony at
Many of Hong Kong's century old institutions have been founded with considerable South Asian participation, as the following examples suggest. The
Early history
Indian traders and the
Indian Army in Hong Kong
Soldiers of the East-India Company,
Hong Kong Happy Valley Hindu and Sikh Cremation Memorial
Located on the hillside behind the Hindu Temple at 1B Wong Nei Chong Road (opposite side from the Happy Valley Racecourse) there exists a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) memorial to 8 Hindu and Sikh soldiers whose mortal remains were cremated at the cremation ground behind the Hindu temple. A large white granite obelisk bearing the names of eight Indian soldiers who served in Hong Kong to assist with colonial defence of the Hong Kong garrison during the First World War.[68] As with Commonwealth War Graves Commissions (CWGC) memorials all over the world, the military memorial is open to the general public and access is through the staircase at the rear of the Hindu Temple.
Hong Kong Happy Valley Muslim Cemetery
The Happy Valley Muslim Cemetery contains 24 graves of South Asians from the Indian sub-continent who died during World War I and World War II. Section 1 of the cemetery at Happy Valley contains a special memorial to Muslims who died during both World Wars.[69]
World War II
During World War II, soldiers of the Indian Army were involved in the Battle of Hong Kong.[71] Indian troops were also incorporated within several overseas regiments as for example the Hong Kong Singapore Royal Artillery Regiment which had Sikh gunners.[72]
Political context
Public sentiment in the Indian subcontinent, solely preoccupied with gaining independence from Britain, made it impossible for the
Battle of Hong Kong
The 5th Battalion of the
Internment camps in Hong Kong for Indian POWs
Hongkongers of South Asian origin
- Hari Harilela, chairman of the Harilela Group
- Vivek Mahbubani, stand-up comedian and TV presenter
- Anjali Rao - journalist & TV news program host
- the University of Hong Kong
- Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, founder of the Star Ferry
- Gill Mohindepaul Singh, actor
- Paul Chater, businessman and philanthropist
- Bhavna Rai, author of novel "Fate, Fraud, and a Friday Wedding"
- Nabela Qoser, first non-ethnic Chinese reporter and presenter of Chinese-language news
See also
- Hinduism in Hong Kong
- Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple
- Pakistanis in China
- Sindhi diaspora
- Battle of Hong Kong (Contribution of troops from the Indian subcontinent to the defence of Hong Kong)
- Ruttonjee Hospital
References
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- ^ "Main Tables | 2021 Population By-census".
- ^ Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, 2000. See specifically Part I page xlvii; as well see Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, Chapter 21 pages 281–283.
- ^ "Official Report of Proceedings" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council. 12 April 1985. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ a b "HONG KONG'S ETHNIC MINORITIES TO BE GRANTED BRITISH PASSPORTS", Reuters TV, 4 February 1997, archived from the original on 8 October 2011, retrieved 28 May 2011 – via EDINA
- ^ a b "Britain considers offering citizenship to HK ethnic minorities". Radio Australia. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Deane, Daniela (1 July 1993), "Hong Kong Minorities Fear Their Stateless Future", The Washington Post, archived from the original on 6 November 2012, retrieved 28 May 2011
- ^ Vidyadharan, Aravind (1996), "Indians anxious about Chinese takeover of Hong Kong", Rediff News, retrieved 28 May 2011
- ^ The Lord Avebury; Tameem Ebrahim (6 December 2004). "Citizenship Denied: The stateless British children of Hong Kong" (PDF). Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Claudia Mo; Lai Tung-kwok (12 December 2012). "LCQ2: Applications for naturalisation as Chinese nationals". Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Retrieved 9 April 2013.; the statistical tables may be found in the two annexes linked in the right sidebar
- ^ 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 Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine.Immigration Department.
- ^ Shamdasani, Ravina (2 December 2002). "HK-born to Indian parents, but Vekha is now Chinese; Nationality and a passport granted to girl in the first case of its kind". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Shamdasani, Ravina (15 December 2002). "First Hong Kong Pakistani gets Chinese nationality". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "香港仔巴漢申特區護照被拒 (Aberdeen Pakistani man's application for SAR passport refused)". Ming Pao. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Applications for naturalisation as Chinese nationals". Info.gov.hk. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "本港去年729人入中國籍". Ming Pao. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Card Scheme". Beijing: Embassy of India. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ "社工﹕南亞裔家長遇語言問題 學校「你死你賤」缺支援". Ming Pao. 24 July 2006. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
- ^ "Table 4.5: Proportion of ethnic minorities aged 5 and over able to speak selected languages/dialects, 2011" (PDF). 2011 Census Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities (PDF). Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department. December 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003).Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong.P.30
- ^ a b Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003).Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong.P.60
- ^ 2001年政府統計處. (2006). 香港南亞裔概況, P.15
- ^ Employment Agencies Administration. (2009). Labour Department of Hong Kong. Retrieved April, 29, from http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/service/content4_2.htm
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- ^ Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003).Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong.P.18
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- ^ Kuruvilla, P.K. (5 April 2016). "Making an enduring mark in distant lands". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
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- ^ Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003).Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong.P.32
- ^ Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003).Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong.P.22
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- ^ "Exhibition reveals history of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
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- ^ "The 59th Regiment Madras Native Infantry". www.militarysunhelmets.com. Military Sun Helmets. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "The King's Indian Orderly Officers 1939". Picture Post. 13 May 1939.
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- ^ "Guha on Marston, 'The Indian Army and the End of the Raj'". networks.h-net.org.
- ^ "Defence of Hong Kong - Shing Mun Redoubt and the Gin Drinker's Line". www.hksw.org. Hong Kong Society of Wargamers.
- ^ "150 pillboxes and counting: Hong Kong historians want city's second world war relics conserved". South China Morning Post. SCMP. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Hong Kong explorers offer rare look into underground air raid tunnels". South China Morning Post. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Lui, Kevin (17 January 2017). "There Is a Part of Hong Kong That Is Forever Canada". Time. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
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- ^ Wordie, Jason (1 July 2016). "Hong Kong urban myths: why the truth should get in the way of a good story". South China Morning Post. SCMP. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
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- ^ "The battle of Hong Kong 1941 - A note on the literature and effectiveness of the defense" (PDF). HKU Libraries. Faculty of Architecture. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ "Sheffield on Roy, 'The Indian Army in the Two World Wars'". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
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- ^ "History buffs re-enact Battle of Hong Kong on the streets to remind city of home-grown heroes' defence against Japanese". South China Morning Post. SCMP. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Sundaram,Chandar S., "Seditious Letters and Steel Helmets: Disaffection among Indian Troops in Singapore and Hong Kong, 1940-41, and the Formation of the Indian National Army", in Roy, K. ed, Wr and Society in Colonial India, 1807-1945, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2006
- ^ "Active Royal Air Force pilots pay homage to fallen at Hong Kong Sai Wan War Cemetery". South China Morning Post. 29 October 2016.
- ^ Smith, Craig S. (23 December 2016). "A Doomed Battle for Hong Kong, With Only Medals Left 75 Years Later". The New York Times.
- ^ "SAI WAN WAR CEMETERY". Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Retrieved 21 June 2017.
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- ^ "HONG KONG HINDU AND SIKH CREMATION MEMORIAL IN HAPPY VALLEY". CWGC.ORG. Commonwealth War Graves Commissions (CWGC). Retrieved 26 June 2017.
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- ^ "Recollections of the Battle of Hong Kong". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 48: 41. 2008.
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{{cite book}}
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- ISBN 978-0774810449.
- ISBN 9622097790.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 9622097790.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 9789888028535.
- ISBN 9789888028535.
- ISBN 9622097790.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Official Report of the Debates of The House of Commons of The Dominion Of Canada (Volume 2) 1942 (page 1168)
- ISBN 978-0773536302.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "【中學巡禮】19歲許軼五官標致親證尼泊爾混血兒 COLLAR成員Day學生相曝光". HKET. 24 January 2022.
Further reading
- 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.
- Caroline Plüss (2005). "Constructing Globalized Ethnicity: Migrants from India in Hong Kong". International Sociology. 20 (2): 201–224.
- Weiss, Anita M. (July 1991). "South Asian Muslims in Hong Kong: Creation of a 'Local Boy' Identity". Modern Asian Studies. 25 (3): 417–453. S2CID 145350669.
- White, Barbara-Sue (1994). Turbans and Traders: Hong Kong's Indian Communities. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195852875.
- Kwok S. T., Narain, K. (2003). Co-Prosperity in Cross-Culturalism: Indians in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. ISBN 962-07-6325-4
- 香港明愛青少年及社區服務九龍社區中心. (2006). 香港南亞裔概況. 香港: 香港明愛青少年及社區服務九龍社區中心. ISBN 978-988-98441-4-1
- Rubinoff, Janet A. "Indians in Hong Kong: Citizenship After 1997?" Canada and Hong Kong Update (加港研究通訊 P: Jiā Gǎng Yánjiū Tōngxùn) 4 (Spring 1991). p. 9–10 (PDF document: p. 59-60/224). PDF version (Archive), txt file (Archive).
External links
- HK marchers demand more English
- 'Top Chinese comedian in Hong Kong is an Indian', by Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis, 27 February 2008.
- 'An Indian show-biz star in Hong Kong', by Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis, 23 October 2007.
- Shailesh DABHI, Sahajanand diam limited.[1]
- ^ H. "Tandoor Indian Restaurant". www.tandoor.com.hk. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.