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Hong Kong has a long-established South Asian population, estimated at around 35,000, making them one of Hong Kong's largest minority groups. These Desi are mostly those from India , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . Although they have taken roots in Hong Kong as far back as South Asia was still under British colonial rule, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. However, recently an increasing number of them have been naturalised as Chinese nationals. South Asians have been known as ''ah cha'' (阿差) by the locals. A proposed Etymology is that some of them, mostly Sikh s from Punjab , were Constable s of Hong Kong Police Force in the early days. Use of the same character 差 in denoting 阿差 and 衙差 (law enforcement officer working in a '' Yamen '' in imperial China) and confusion of the two phrases' distinct pronunciation, is suggested as a possible ground. This term is commonly regarded as Derogatory , equivalent to Paki in a sense. HISTORY NATIONALITY AND RIGHT OF ABODE Despite its participation in treaties for reduction of , their places of ancestry have been engaged in numerous Conflicts . Some of these people have been subjected to Transportation as a punishment or sent to Penal Colonies , and their ancestries are often obscured this way. However, a number of South Asians have managed to be claimed by their countries of ancestry. On the other hand, other Desi who have taken roots in Hong Kong fall in a different situation. Towards the end of colonial times, some of these South Asians (called 1st generation in this section) have had the status of British National (Overseas) (BNO), but this status ceases to be transmissible beyond a generation after the Transfer Of The Sovereignty Of Hong Kong to China. This means that although their sons and daughters (2nd generation) born after the changeover will have BNO status, their grandchildren (3rd generation) do not, and are faced with the prospect of Statelessness . The UK also subjects these South Asians to immigration control. As a result, they have right of abode nowhere else in the world, necessitating the inclusion of "Persons ... who, before the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, had the right of abode in Hong Kong only" in the definition of " Hong Kong Permanent Resident ". (Article 24 of the Basic Law of HKSAR of PRC) Since 1 July 1997, when China resumed sovereignty in Hong Kong, Chinese Nationality Law began to apply with some explanations of the Standing Committee Of The National People's Congress . The former provides that, among other things, persons born to stateless parents who reside in China have Chinese nationality, whereas the latter, among other things, empowers the Immigration Department of Hong Kong to administer the former. Although during the transition period, it has been alleged that China has been reluctant to grant citizenship to these South Asians, in fact many of them have applied for Chinese nationality with the Immigration Department successfully. However, the exact number of these South Asians is not well known as the Immigration Department is not allowed to split the statistics of number of naturalisation applicants by race, colour or ancestry. Even if these South Asians do not seek naturalisation, their great-grandchildren (4th generation, see above paragraphs) will be Chinese nationals by birth because they are born of stateless 3rd generations who reside in Hong Kong, part of China (Art. 6, Chinese Nationality Law ). (Of course, if a 3rd generation has children with anyone who has a nationality, the situation will be different.) ''See also British Nationality Law And Hong Kong and Chinese Nationality Law '' DEMOGRAPHICS The South Asians of Hong Kong include different subgroups owing to their diverse geographic, linguistic, and religious origins. Muslims Muslims have been living at Hong Kong before the partition of India-Pakistan. they immigrated to Hong Kong as police & army officers during the colonial rule of Britania. Most of these muslims now belong to Faisalabad, Pakistan. Nepalese Nepalese People in Hong Kong are mainly ex- British Army Gurkha s who, on leaving army service decided to remain in Hong Kong. Due to the Brigade Of Gurkhas being based in Hong Kong during the 1970 s up until the Handover , many Gurkhas gained the length of time of residency to remain in Hong Kong as permanent residents. Thus there is a particularly high Nepalese population in Shek Kong , Yuen Long District , which was one of the main bases of the British army. Many ex-Gurkhas now work as Security Guard s to earn a living, principally for Jardine Securicor . Sindhi s The Sindhi people originate from the Sindh , an area which now lies in modern-day Pakistan due to the Partition Of India . There exists a large Sindhi Diaspora , from which the Hong Kong Sindhi population originates. They form the largest group of Indians in Hong Kong, and are predominantly Hindu . The Sindhi population has historically played an important role in trading and business. Sikhs train.]] A smaller group, numbering at about 7500, the Sikh population of Hong Kong originates from the Punjab region in India and Pakistan. They adhere to Sikhism , and unlike the Sindhi population, historically held occupations as guards, police officers, watchmen, and soldiers. The Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple serves the religious needs of the Sikh community. Jains There are about 500 Jains in Hong Kong, who settled in Hong Kong during relatively recent times. Adherents of Jainism, the Jain community of Hong Kong grew rapidly during the 1980s. They mostly originate from the Indian provinces of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Jains are most prominent in the diamond trading business. In 1996, members of the community founded a Jain temple, Shree Hong Kong Jain Sangh . Parsis Parsis are another group of Indians in Hong Kong. They are descended from a minority in India that traces their ancestry back to Persia (Pars) and they adhere to the Zoroastrian Religion . Historically, they were one of the first group of Indians to settle in Hong Kong, prospering as traders, merchants, and Opium shippers and as such the group now occupies a secure economic status. The number of Parsis remain relatively small; a 2002 survey counted less than 200 individuals, up from 80-90 individuals in 1952, which has led them to establish stronger ties with the larger Indian community in Hong Kong. Tamils South Asian Jews Others LANGUAGES The South Asians of Hong Kong are usually Multilingual , with many attaining trilingual fluency or more. Most are fluent in both English and a mother tongue (such as Sindhi or Punjabi ), and many are fluent in Cantonese , Hindi , and/or Urdu as well. In addition, some may also study Sanskrit or Arabic for religious reasons. REFERENCES
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS Nepalese |
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