South Asians in Hong Kong
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (30,444 Indians; 20,864 Nepalis; 16,776 Pakistanis) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and South New Territories | |
| Languages | |
| English, Urdu, Hindi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Nepali, Cantonese | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Buddhism, Sunni Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Bahá'í Faith, Christianity. | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Pakistani, Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, 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. |
Hong Kong has a long-established South Asian population. As of the 2006 by-census, there were at least 44,744 persons of South Asian descent in Hong Kong. Many trace their roots in Hong Kong as far back as when most of 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 an increasing number of them have acquired Chinese nationality.
South Asians were in Hong Kong since 1841. Sikhs soldiers participated at the flag raising ceremony at Possession Point, Hong Kong in 1841 when the Captain Elliot declared Hong Kong a British possession. Sikhs, Parsis and other South Asians made many contributions to the well-being of Hong Kong. The earliest policemen in Hong Kong were Indians (Sikhs) and the present police force still have some few South Asians, as well as Europeans. The top Hong Kong civil servant was once an Indian Mr. Harnam Singh Grewal (a Sikh), whose family history in Hong Kong dates back to the late 1800s, was the Secretary for Transport and the Secretary for Civil Service in the 1980s.
Many of Hong Kong's century old institutions have been founded with considerable South Asian participation, as the following examples suggest. The University of Hong Kong was founded on funds partially provided by an Indian Sir H.N. Mody, a close friend of the then governor. The 100-year-old Star Ferry was founded by Dorabji Naorojee. South Asians also founded the Ruttonjee Hospital, Mr. Belilos (a Baghdadi Jew) is one of the founders of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Mr. Kadoorie owns the China Light and Power Company. Mr. Harilela (a Sindhi) owns the Holiday Inn Golden Mile while Mr. Chellaram is in Shipowning.
Despite its participation in treaties for reduction of statelessness, the British government has not dealt with issues of nationality of South Asians in Hong Kong properly. The countries of ancestry have also been criticised as slow in addressing this matter. The difficulty in re-establishing their country of ancestry is multifold: Apart from wars for decolonisation, 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, making their genealogy difficult to trace. However, a number of South Asians have been able to obtain the nationalities of the countries in South Asia which became independent after their ancestors' departures.
...
Wikipedia