Inside a sparsely furnished 100 sq ft public housing flat in Hong Kong’s Hung Shui Kiu, a family of two lives with little more than a bunk bed, television stand, sofa and some donated clothes racks. This flat is the temporary home of 69-year-old resident surnamed Ho and her daughter. They were among the 5,000 Wang Fuk Court residents displaced by an inferno that ravaged the Tai Po estate on November 26 last year, killing 168 people. The pair had refrained from settling into the accommodation...
The Hong Kong parents of undocumented baby Danny have expressed confidence that they can obtain legal guardianship of their son, who is now in a care home, as immigration authorities could process his birth certificate as early as Saturday. The unmarried couple also said they saw a “glimmer of hope” in resolving the custody case of their four-year-old daughter Lily, whom Swedish authorities have taken into care over child welfare concerns. “We believe the social workers will handle the matter in...
Swedish authorities who have taken over the care of the daughter of a Hong Kong couple with a troubled parenting history have said that whether a child faces risks at home is one of the key factors when deciding if intervention is needed. But the social services department of Sweden’s Linkoping municipality declined to comment on the legal status of the couple’s daughter Lily on Wednesday, saying doing so would harm those involved. The preschooler’s case came to light through her parents’ social...
The parents of a Hong Kong baby without legal identity have insisted on not providing DNA proof for birth registration on privacy grounds, with the city’s welfare minister saying authorities would “strive to meet” the family after finally receiving an email reply from them. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Tuesday said that the Social Welfare Department had finally received a reply from the parents of two-month old Danny via email on Monday night. The department had first...
Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers have been granted permanent residence in the UK under a bespoke British immigration pathway launched in January 2021, making them eligible to apply for citizenship next year. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the British National (Overseas) visa pathway, which allows successful applicants and their dependants to live, work and study in the United Kingdom for up to five years. “Since the scheme began, there have been a total of 9,804 grants of settlement to...
For Hongkonger Annyee Chan, the decision to stop breastfeeding her son at eight months was a pragmatic response to a city that often feels at odds with the needs of nursing mothers. Returning to work just one month after childbirth, the self-employed wealth management professional faced a gruelling logistical challenge, navigating a city with sparse nursing facilities while lugging heavy pumps, bottles and coolers on her daily commute. “I managed to breastfeed my child quite well, and I...
Complaints to Hong Kong’s equality watchdog about firings linked to suspected disability discrimination have more than doubled over the past five years, with concern groups attributing the rise to corporate restructuring and widespread lay-offs amid the economic downturn. The South China Morning Post obtained figures from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) showing that the watchdog received 490 complaints of alleged disability discrimination in the employment field last year, up 72 per...
The picturesque old village of Tin Sam Tsuen in Hong Kong, marked by small houses built with bricks in a traditional colour and an ancestral hall with green and white walls, has been home to generations of residents for hundreds of years. From traditional rituals to celebrate newborns to flowing banquets during festive occasions, the historic village of about 50 households in far-flung Hung Shui Kiu also holds many memories for its residents. Villagers would come together, moving in and out of...