HONG KONG: Hundreds of mainland Chinese who are fighting orders to leave Hong Kong marched yesterday to the territory's highest court vowing to stay in the former British colony.
The marchers, defying the governments in both Hong Kong and Beijing, shouted slogans and waved banners as they marched to the court. Some said they would rather die than be deported and split from their loved ones in the territory, which returned to China in 1997.
The group were among an estimated 7,000 mainland Chinese, including the children of elderly parents, who had lost a lengthy legal battle in January to stay in Hong Kong with their families. They had until last Sunday to leave Hong Kong and return to the mainland. "I'll kill myself if they forcibly repatriate me. At least if I die in Hong Kong, my family can deal with my remains. I have no relative on the mainland," said Mr Wong Mei Yin (32), who was born in China's Fujian province.
The migrants have been warned they would be forcibly deported if they did not leave peacefully. The illegal abode-seekers have been trying for years to obtain a residency permit to join family members who long ago won right of abode in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong estimates that 1.6 million mainland Chinese could claim the right of abode in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover and fears they will swamp the territory unless they apply for Chinese exit visas in an orderly manner.