Leung Chun-ying urged to act on 'nomadic' children

A tiresome shuffle back and forth across the border is disrupting the lives and education of an estimated 7,000 Hong Kong children, activists and families said yesterday, calling for government action.

The children were born to mainland mothers who have lost their Hong Kong husbands to death or divorce. They live in the city on temporary permits, which must be renewed every three months - requiring the mothers, sole-caregivers, to return to their hometowns with their children.

"[The constant insecurity and disruption of life] torments the children. Many grow up with serious emotional problems," said Sze Lai-shan, an organiser with the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO). Sze and around 30 such children presented a petition to the chief executive yesterday, asking that the mothers be granted permanent, one-way permits to live in Hong Kong. Sze said immigration authorities had reviewed 10 to 20 cases in the past few years, and granted one-way permits to some mainland parents on a case-by-case basis.

But the backlog of cases could take years to clear. SoCO estimates there to be 7,000 "nomadic" Hong Kong-born children; no official figures are kept in Hong Kong or the mainland.

Sze said yesterday that the number would grow by 100-200 cases a year unless the government takes action.

One such case is Lui Wai-ling, aged seven, who is mildly mentally retarded, has language disabilities and needs extra help in school. On her last trip to the mainland, Wai-ling's mother, Xu Junlian, had to wait 46 days before she received her latest two-way permit. Xu fears her daughter may suffer permanent damage from this insecure life.