Edward Snowden Guardian Angels In Hong Kong

Archive


August Roundup

Sep 12th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and to ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of services, we have been working closely with our partners in the community and organising diversified programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Blog Updates and Coverage

This month we are honoured to have a guest contribution on our blog — a piece entitled “Profiles of Asylum: From the Ancient City of Mosul to Hong Kong” which recorded an asylum seeker’s experience taking refuge in Hong Kong, adjusting to tremendous uncertainties in a state of limbo.

We are also thrilled to be featured on Table of Two Cities’ blog — drawing from an everyday life example, Vania Chow in her piece “The Taste of Ice-Cream: Vignettes from Refugee Union” depicted the plight of asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong.

Virtual Engagements

In times of COVID-19 pandemic, we are all forced to put face-to-face interactions on hold. With technological advancement, however, social distancing is never a barrier to our solidarity.

This month we would like to send our acknowledgement to the Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students’ Services Association (HKOTSSA) for bringing us the Film Screening Night in a virtual format. We had a nice evening with you all.

There will be more virtual engagements happening soon, please stay tuned for the updates.

Donations Keep Going

In a difficult time, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our donors for lending us a helping hand. This month we received donations of different items, which include daily necessities and protective equipment for our members. Thank you very much for our donors’ generous support!

Please stay tuned to our official website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us an email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

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JULY ROUNDUP

Aug 5th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and to ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of services, we have been working closely with our partners in the community and organising diversified programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Our Featured Articles

This month we are thrilled to be featured in two articles. Sophia Zhang from Shatin College wrote about the stories of asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong based on her interviews with our members. Her article has been published on our blog. Ka Wang Kelvin Lam, our volunteer and a researcher of the Department of Sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), highlighted the importance of the refugee community. He wrote about the ways asylum seekers and refugees here cope with hardship in times of COVID-19 pandemic by using our organisation as a case study. His article has been published with Routed Magazine and the blog of the University of Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS).

Stop Indefinite Detention

We are aware of the indefinite detention happening in the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC). Without a reasonable justification, such an act sharply differs from the general practice of the Immigration Department on arrest and detention, not to mention other issues (say, hygiene and delayed medical treatments) the detainees are suffering from. Among them, some are asylum seekers and refugees. They are currently in a hunger strike going against CIC’s indefinite detention. All lives matter. With the CIC Detainees Right Concern Group, we the Refugee Union always stand with the detainees and condemn all inhuman treatments.

Donations Keep Going

The coronavirus disease continues to surge Hong Kong and across the globe. In this difficult time, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our donors for lending us a helping hand. This month we received donations of different items, which include daily necessities and protective equipment for our members. Thank you very much for our donors’ generous support!

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Please stay tuned to our official website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us an email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

June Roundup

Jul 10th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and to ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of services, we have been working closely with our partners in the community and organising diversified programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Welcoming our summer interns

This month we are honoured to host Mr. Lo Kai Chung, Assistant Lecturer from the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Mr. Lo recommended two students to serve as summer interns in our office and develop programs for our members. We look forward to collaborating with them soon.

We are also thrilled to host Sunshine Action’s interns who come from different universities and colleges in the United States, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong with the aim to support the underserved groups in times of COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you team for their great efforts!

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Crowdfunding account launches

Good news! Our crowdfunding account is now available. May we take this opportunity to send our special acknowledgement to members of 180 Degrees Consulting at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for developing this useful platform for us.

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Donations keep going

COVID-19 continues to surge the globe. In this difficult time, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our donors for lending us a helping hand. This month we received a wide-range of items, which include daily necessities and protective equipment for our members. Thank you very much for their generous support!

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All lives matter. Today, and as always, we stand with all who struggle against racism, prejudice, and inequality. There is no place for them in the world. Please stay tuned to our official website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us an email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

May Roundup

May 26th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of services, we have been working closely with our partners in the community and organising diversified programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Struggling for Survival

Taking refuge in Hong Kong, one of the world’s costliest cities, is never easy for us. We, asylum seekers and refugees, are capable and eager to contribute but prohibited to work and can solely rely on a monthly stipend of about HK$3,000 (US$387), which is supposed to cover every aspect (accommodation, food, transport, and utilities) of our lives, to barely survive. Worse still, the stipend has not increased since 2014.

Now with the coronavirus pandemic, our lives are becoming more difficult. Prices of daily necessities keep increasing while our stipend does not. People are masking up while we cannot afford the protective equipment. Some donors and sponsors lost their jobs; churches and supporting organisations are closed so we can hardly seek help from the community. A few months ago, we petitioned the government for an urgent increase in stipend but regrettably did not get any positive response.

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Donations Keep Going

In a desperate situation, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our donors for lending us a helping hand. This month we received a wide-range of items, including digital products (such as calculators and laptops) for students, toys for kids, and other utilities and protective equipment for our members who are asylum seekers and refugees. Thank you very much for your generous support.

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Despite having a hard time, we, the Refugee Union, as usual, serve with our initial heart and spare no pain to pursue a better society for everyone, regardless of who they are and where they come from. Please stay tuned to our official website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us an email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

April Roundup

Apr 26th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of service, we have been working closely with our partners in community and have been organising diversified of programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Strike for Survival in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Seeking asylum in Hong Kong, one of the world’s costliest cities, is never an easy task for asylum seekers and refugees with limited financial assistance but without a permission to self-sustain, while the current covid-19 pandemic has aggravated our predicament.

To express our concerns, this month we continued to deliver petitions to the Social Welfare Department, on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees to call for an urgent increase in the level of assistance to help us overcome the challenges in a difficult time.

On April 11, we are delighted to have a live chat with the Table of Two Cities, through an online platform to let the public know more about our current situations at the time of social distancing.

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Donation Keeps Going

While most of our activities have been suspended due to the pandemic, donations keep going to cater for members’ substantial needs. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Donors for sending us a wide range of items, including health care products and other utilities. We are grateful to have all of you lending us a helping hand when we are in need.

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Despite in a difficult time, we serve with our initial heart as usual, sparing no pain to pursuing a better society with justice and fairness to everyone, regardless of who they are and where they are from. Stay tuned to our official website and social media pages for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

Poor hygiene conditions in Immigration detention

Apr 26th, 2020 | Advocacy, Detention, Immigration, Media | Comment

Poor conditions in CIC detention - 26Apr2020

Press Release: Request for Increase in Assistance

Apr 7th, 2020 | Advocacy, Food, Government, Housing, Media, Refugee Community, Welfare | Comment

Refugee Union Press Release (Petition to SWD) - 7Apr2020

March Roundup

Mar 29th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and to ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of service, we have been working closely with our partners in community and have been organising diversified of programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

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CALLING FOR AN URGENT INCREASE IN ASSISTANCE

Seeking asylum in Hong Kong, one of the world’s costliest cities, is never an easy task for asylum seekers and refugees with limited financial assistance but without permission to self-sustain, while the current COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated our predicament. To express our concerns, we continued a series of advocacy with the support of professionals, volunteers and our passionate members.

On March 5, we delivered a petition to Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive, on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong to call for an urgent increase in the level of assistance to help us overcome huge challenges in such a difficult time. 

To raise public awareness, on March 24, we also launched a video clip in social media which has introduced our organisation and issues about asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong as follow:

https://www.facebook.com/refugeeunionhk/videos/215713693010840/

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Julie Ham of the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and her Assistant Merina Sunuwar for their great efforts in producing this meaningful video.

DONATIONS KEEPS GOING

While most of our activities have been suspended due to the pandemic, donations keep going to cater for members’ substantial needs. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Donors for sending us a wide range of items, including health care products and other utilities. We are grateful to have all of you lending us a helping hand when we are in need.

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NEW PLATFORMS NOW AVAILABLE

To facilitate the sharing of information, we are now on Twitter (@RefugeeUnion) and Instagram (@refugeeunion). Feel free to subscribe us for the updates. We are also thankful to have a group of talented university students helping us to set up a crowdfunding page at the link below:

https://gogetfunding.com/refugees-in-hong-kong-need-your-help/?fbclid=IwAR0EyDzYwwZPzztqP2NROjdNtNoCspu_1X6wF1k9PNLolGMc_pxx8iK1MvI

Despite in a difficult time, we serve with our initial heart as usual, sparing no pain to pursuing a better society with justice and fairness to everyone, regardless of who they are and where they are from. Stay tuned to our official website and social media pages for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.

Social Welfare Dept reply to our petition for increase in assistance

Mar 21st, 2020 | Advocacy, Food, Government, Housing, Welfare | Comment

SWD reply to RU petition - 19Mar2020

February Roundup

Mar 4th, 2020 | Advocacy | Comment

Refugee Union Hong Kong was founded in 2014 with visions to safeguard protection claimants’ rights and ameliorate their prospects. Since our commencement of service, we have been working closely with our partners in community and organising diversified of programmes to actualise members’ psychological and social well-being.

Calling for an Urgent Increase in Assistance

Seeking refuge in Hong Kong, one of the world’s costliest cities, is never an easy task, while the current coronavirus outbreak has aggravated our hardship. To express members’ concerns, we submitted a petition to Social Welfare Department on February 27, requesting the government to increase the amount of assistance, up to the standard that asylum seekers can survive with dignity.

RU petition to SWD - 26Feb2020 (4)

Donations Keeps Going

While most of our activities have been suspended due to the epidemic, donations keep going to cater for members’ substantial needs. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Donors for sending us a wide range of items, including health care products and other utilities. We are grateful to have them lending us a helping hand.

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Despite in a difficult time, we serve with our initial heart as usual, sparing no pain to pursuing a better society with justice and fairness to everyone, regardless of who they are and where they are from. Stay tuned to our official website and Facebook page for the updates, and feel free to contact us by visiting our office or sending us email at info@refugeeunion.org should you have any enquiry.