Bethune House celebrates 36 years of service to migrant workers

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Antonio calls on the community to continue supporting Bethune House's work

If you saw the happy faces of about 100 people who attended the 36^th anniversary party of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge on Friday night at Blue Ocean restaurant in Jordan, you would be hard put to tell that the shelter has been a refuge for women undergoing untold hardship.

The job was made even more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic that raged in the first months of the year in Hong Kong. Many migrant domestic workers were thrown out of their employers’ homes or boarding houses, and Bethune House was among a few groups that waded through the challenges to lend a hand.

As Edwina Antonio, executive director of Bethune House said in her welcome speech, “The pandemic created additional pressures (on us).” But as has been its practice for nearly four decades of service, the shelter wasted no time gathering resources and organizing people to extend help.

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By the time the so-called fifth (and most devastating) wave of the pandemic had eased, Bethune House had distributed more than 5,000 care packs to migrant workers and helped more than 90 of them who tested positive for Covid-19.

This was apart from the 400 or so other migrants who needed help with their legal cases, even amid the worst onslaught of the coronavirus on the city.

“And so, (through) 36 years of compassion and perseverance, even with the scourge of Covid thrown at us, Bethune House responded to the call for service,” Antonio said.

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Among those who threw a lifeline to them was the YMCA HK, which opened its doors to migrants who needed shelter during this difficult time, all the way until mid-June.

Antonio hands out certificates of appreciation to donors and supporters 

YMCA’s chief executive officer Peter Ho, who credited two of his staff members for doing much of the groundwork for the collaboration, said he was honored and grateful to have been asked to take part in the celebration.

On the receiving end of such generous support for Bethune’s advocacies are the migrant women, many of them abused, sick or enmeshed in legal disputes, whose lives were transformed after they turned to the shelter for help.

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They include Kartika, who told the gathering how Bethune House and its affiliate, the Mission for Migrant Workers, had given her fresh hope after she returned home to Indonesia in 2018 virtually penniless, despite succeeding in putting her former employers behind bars for torturing her for two years.

Kartika recounted how Antonio and Mission’s Cynthia Tellez had brought her back to Hong Kong so she could pursue a civil claim against her tormentors. She is now just awaiting the court’s decision on how much compensation she is entitled to.

Kartika (in brown) thanks Bethune and Mission for helping her fight for her rights

Erwiana, another abused Indonesian migrant worker whose year-long abuse at the hands of her female employer made headlines around the world, also paid tribute to the Mission and Bethune House for helping turn her life around by convincing her to return to Hong Kong to pursue her torturer.

In a videotaped message, Erwiana appealed for help on behalf of Bethune House, saying it is through donors’ generosity that the shelter is able to come to the aid of distressed migrants like she once was.

Another migrant worker who gave testimony for Bethune House was Estrella Pineda, a Filipina who is battling stage two cancer. She said Bethune House has been her home for nearly two years, while she undergoes medical treatment for her ailment.

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While the worst may be over for the pandemic, Bethune House cannot rest easy for long. As Antonio said, more and more distressed migrant women are knocking at their door, and it is only through help from generous supporters that they could respond to the many challenges that lay ahead.

“We have always believed that it takes a community to shelter migrant workers in distress,” she said. “We know you will never leave us…please all join hands to sustain Bethune House’s work.”

As a community-driven shelter, Bethune House relies heavily on support from the community. To donate, please click: https://bethunehouse.org/donate

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For in-kind donation or to volunteer, please send message to the Facebook page, Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge or email: shelter@bethunehouse.org.hk

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Covid caseload rises to 5,424 as more new variants are found

By The SUN

 

Three new mutant strains of the coronavirus have been found in Hong Kong

More cases involving new coronavirus sub-variants have been found, as the daily tally rose to 5,424 on Saturday, including 312 that were imported.

Seven more Covid patients were reported to have died.

The new cases included 23 involving the XBB sub-variant, two BA.2.75.2 and four BQ.1.1.

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So far, the SAR has seen 55 XBB cases, and five involving the BQ.1.1 sub-variant.

Despite the gradual increase in the daily caseload, a government adviser on the pandemic, David Hui, said this was to be expected as more new variants enter the city.

Speaking to reporters after a radio program, Hui said people should not get overly worried as Hong Kong has a high vaccination rate and the vaccines are effective against the new mutant strains.

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Besides, there is a significant number of people who acquired hybrid immunity after coming down with the coronavirus recently.

Hui said the real-time virus reproductive number now stands at around 1.27 – meaning, an infected person can pass on the virus at that ratio – so the infection rate is likely to rise for now.

But he said statistics show that there has been no increase in the number of severe and fatal cases, so people should not worry too much.

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Thus, he said it is just right for the government to allow up to 12 people to gather in public from the current four, especially since restaurants are allowed to sit up to a dozen people per table.

But he said the vaccine pass and the PCR tests on arriving travelers should continue, at least for now.

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"If you don't perform PCR, you can't perform genome sequencing – you can't monitor new variants coming in to Hong Kong," he said.

But he says follow-up tests after arrival could be done through rapid antigen tests, and new arrivals could be allowed to enter restaurants by showing a negative RAT result.

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Under the existing 0+3 arrangement, inbound travelers are required to undergo three more PCR tests over a seven-day period. They are also given a yellow code, which bars them from entering restaurants and other premises deemed “high risk.”

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Pinoy, pinalaya matapos iurong ang kasong overstaying laban sa kanya

 

Inurong ng taga-usig sa Shatin Magistracy ang kaso laban kay Dichoso

Nakalaya ang isang Pilipino matapos iurong ng taga-usig sa Shatin Magistrates’ Court ang dalawang sakdal sa kanya na paglabag sa Immigration Ordinance.

Nag-flying kiss pa si Cris Dichoso sa mga tao habang ibinabalik siya ng mga pulis sa silid ng mga akusado sa korte noong Biyernes (Oct. 14), upang simulan ang proseso ng kanyang pagpapalaya.

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Si Dichoso, 35 taong gulang, ay kinasuhan ng Immigration Department ng paglabag sa Section 11 ng Immigration Ordinance dahil nanatili siya sa Hong Kong matapos mawalan ng bisa ang kanyang visitor’s visa noong April 14, 2014, hanggang mahuli siya nitong Aug. 17 ng taong kasalukuyan.

Maliban sa pag-overstay, kinasuhan din si Dichoso ng illegal na pagtatrabaho, dahil naaktohan siyang nagsisilbi bilang bartender sa Sai Ying Pun noong mahuli siya.

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Nang simulan ang pagdinig sa harap ni Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung, tumindig agad ang taga-usig upang ipahiwatig ang pag-urong ng unang sakdal laban kay Dichoso.

Hindi niya ipinaliwanag kung bakit inuurong ang kaso.

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Tinanong ni Magistrate Cheung ang abogadong nagtatanggol kay Dichoso kung may tutol ito sa hiling ng taga-usig, at sumagot naman ito ng hindi.

Sa pag-urong ng unang kasong overstay, nawalang saysay ang ikalawang kaso kaya hindi na ito nabanggit.

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24 torture claimants sent home as Immigration vows to step up repatriation

By The SUN

 

Immigration agents escort the failed torture claimants onto the plane that took them home

In another sign that the Hong Kong government is toughening its stance towards non-visa holders who oppose being sent back home, 24 so-called “unsubstantiated non refoulement claimants” have been sent to their places of origin earlier this week.

A statement from the Immigration Department said 16 men and eight women were repatriated to their home countries between Oct 10 and 13.

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Among them were sentenced offenders who had been discharged from jail after serving their sentences, overstayers, illegal immigrants and those refused permission to land.

Immigration said it will speed up the repatriation of non-refoulement claimants who have no valid reasons for opposing being sent back to their country of origin.

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Its statement said it has “all along been committed to removing unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants from Hong Kong as soon as practicable so as to maintain effective immigration control and safeguard the public interest.”

However, the repatriation process is said to have been hindered by various factors, including pending applications for judicial review by a big number of the applicants, apart from the limited flights and travel restrictions due to the pandemic.

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Immigration said it will continue to speed up the removal process and maintain close liaisons with governments of major source countries of the claimants (the Philippines included), airline companies and other government departments to carry out the repatriations as soon as practicable through all  appropriate measures.

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This is the second time in a month that a mass repatriation of non-refoulement claimants has been carried out.

Immigration also sent home a total of 45 claimants from Sept 13 to 20 this year, comprising 33 males and 12 females.

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They included a 73-year-old man convicted of using false instrument who attempted to claim non refoulement after completing his prison sentence in December last year.

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Maghunos-dili bago maglabas ng impormasyon upang ipahiya ang isang tao

 

Logo ng Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.

Gusto mo bang ipahiya ang isang taong may atraso sa iyo – gaya halimbawa ng isang nangutang at hindi nagbayad -- sa pamamagitan ng pagsisiwalat sa Facebook ng kanilang pangalan at iba pang personal na impormasyon?

Huwag mo nang ituloy, dahil ito ay krimen na tinatawag na doxxing.

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Upang bigyang-diin na seryoso ang Hong Kong sa pagsugpo ng doxxing, isang lalaking 37 taong gulang ang inaresto nitong Huwebes (Oct. 13) ng Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) sa Kowloon West dahil sa paglabag sa Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO).

Ang kaso ay nagmula sa transaction kung saan ang lalaki ay kumuha ng domestic helper sa employment agency na pagmamay-ari ng biktima. Nang hindi nagpakita ang DH, binawi ng lalaki ang ibinayad niya sa ahensiya pero tumutol ang may-ari ng ahensiya, na isang babae.

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Sa galit ay inilabas ng lalaki sa social media noong Abril ang mga personal data ng babae gaya ng pangalan sa Intsik, pangalan sa Ingles, pangalan ng paaralang pinanggalingan niya, mga larawan at ang pangalan at address ng kanyang ahensiya. Mayroon din siyang ipinalabas na paninira at akusasyon.

Patuloy na iniimbestigahan ang kaso.

Noong Oct 6 naman, naresolba sa Shatin Magistrates’ Court ang kauna-unahang kasong doxxing na napatunayan simula nang maging batas ang PDPO noong Oct. 8, 2021.

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Umamin si Ho Muk-wah na naglabas sa social media ng personal na impormasyon ng dati nyang kasintahan sa apat na social media platform noong Oct 19 hanggang 26, 2019.

Sa pagbukas ng tatlong account sa social media, nagpanggap pa si Ho na dati niyang kasintahan ay nag-imbita ng mga kalalakihan na bisitahin siya sa kanyang tirahan. Nakatanggap tuloy ang babae ng mga tawag mula sa mga gusto siyang makilala.

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Nahatulang nagkasala siya sa pitong kaso ng “pagbubunyag ng personal na impormasyon nang walang pahintulot” dahil sa paglabas niya ng mga larawan ng babae, tirahan, sarili at pang-opisinang telephone number, pangalan ng  pinagtatrabahuan at posisyon.

Itinakda ng korte ang paggawad ng parusa kay Ho sa Dec. 15.

Ayon sa PCPD, ang doxxing ay isang krimen na may parusang multa na hanggang $1,000,000 at kulong na hanggang limang taon.

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Nagiging krimen ang paghayag ng personal na impormasyon kung ito ay walang pahintulot ng biktima, may intensyong manira, nagsanhi ng pinsala sa isang tao at kanyang pamilya, naging sanhi ng pinsala sa impormasyon tungkol sa kanila.

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Live shows in bars back by next week

By The SUN

The news should come as a relief to musicians in Hong Kong (HKMU photo)

Health officials today announced that live performances will be back in restaurants and bars starting from next Thursday, Oct. 20.

The move, announced during a press conference earlier today, should come as a relief to the city’s musicians, many of them Filipinos, who have been left unemployed by the ban on live shows imposed two-and-a-half years ago.

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But as a safeguard, performers will be made to undergo PCR tests for Covid-19 twice a week, and a rapid antigen test at the venue on the day of each performance.

They are also required to keep their masks on and maintain a distance from the audience while performing.

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Undersecretary for Health Dr Libby Lee also said the government plans to allow up to 12 people to gather in public from the current four.

She explained that limiting the number of people who gather together is one of the most effective measures to stop the spread of the virus but it must done gradually and in an orderly manner.

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“Once the disease is controlled, or all the immunity of the public is guaranteed,…we can slowly release the limitations on the number of people in gatherings,” she said.

Also as a further easing of the rules, people will be allowed to eat in outside areas of theme parks, instead of being confined to indoor restaurants or food courts.

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The decision to relax the rules was made even as the city recorded 5,622 new Covid infections, among which 387 were imported. 

Eight more patients died in the past 24 hours.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said 23 more cases involving the new Covid sub-variant XBB have been found, raising the total tally to 29 so far.

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Au said that while the new variant could be more transmissible than the dominant B.4 and B.5 strain, there is still no evidence that it could lead to more serious complications.

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