Asylum plea by Snowden would not be fast-tracked, says UN refugee office

Edward Snowden will not be given preferential treatment if he applies for asylum in Hong Kong, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' office.

And an asylum seeker warned Snowden may face a long wait should he seek protection.

"We prioritise older cases," said Nazneen Farooqi, a protection officer at the UNHCR's office in Hong Kong, during a press conference ahead of today's World Refugee Day.

She said she was speaking hypothetically, as UNHCR does not confirm or deny the existence of particular asylum claims.

Farooqi said because the city has no asylum-screening system, applicants whose tourist visas have expired are usually detained at an immigration centre while their documents are verified. Applications can be made to the UNHCR for asylum at any time.

The period of detention usually ranges from a few weeks to a few months, but can be longer, the UNHCR says.

Ali Bahadar, 61, a former politician in Pakistan who has been waiting for his claim to be processed for more than three years, said: "Snowden should not be treated like a VIP. He should be treated like … all of us, who have been waiting in Hong Kong for as long as 10 years."