HOMEKONGERS
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
NEPALESE
Most of the Nepalese staying in Hong kong today are Gurkhas who have come to Hong Kong during the British colonization in the 1960s as part of the British Army. Gurkhas were allowed to stay in Hong Kong when the British returned to England after the Handover. In fact, a considerable number of the Gurkhas and their families have chosen to stay in Hong Kong and their communities are mainly located in Yuen Long Shek Kong and Yau Tsim Mong area where their barrack accommodations were. Indeed, not all Nepalese in Hong Kong today are Gurkhas and the families or descendants of Gurkhas, but immigrants who have decided to vacate their homeland in the hope of pursuing a better or even safer life or to seek ways to earn more money miles and miles away from home in order to sustain their family’s living.
Currently, there are a number of Nepalese association in Hong Kong namely The Southern League Organization and The Hong Kong Gurkha Association which aim to provide support and help when needed for their fellows. Also, statistics from the Census and Statistics Department have indicated that more than 90% of the Nepalese in Hong Kong have married their own ethnicity which can be interpreted in two ways: that their community construction is successful and strong bonds are formed within the community or the Nepalese community is encountering problems when integrating into Hong Kong.
GURKHAS IN HONG KONG PROJECT
The Gurkhas in Hong Kong Project is initiated by a third-generation Gurkha descendent named Dhiraj Gurung two years ago in the hope of arousing awareness and attention for the history and contributions made by Gurkhas in Hong Kong
. He was provoked to start the project when he was asking for direction for the bus stop when he pursued his Master in Public Health at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as the student from CUHK believed that he was a security guard after knowing that he was a Nepali. Dhiraj was not offended and had no negative feeling for people to be security guard but he was not comfortable for his fellow Nepali ex-soldiers who have helped safeguarding Hong Kong to be thought as security guards or even cleaners.
Dhiraj simply believes that Gurkhas in Hong Kong deserve respect as Hong Kong would be a completely different place without Gurkhas. What has been observed to be even more unfortunate by Dhiraj is the fact that many young Nepali are as ignorant as most of the people in Hong Kong overlooking the contribution made by their ancestors. Dhiraj has once witnessed that a young Nepali condemning and cursing old Gurkhas for sitting and daydreaming in parks all day.
What they do not know is history of Gurkhas patrolling the borders of Hong Kong to prevent any unwanted persons from crossing as well as searching bushes in rural areas looking for illegal immigrants. Gurkhas were also responsible for maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of every Hong Kong Citizens. They are not old and useless fellows who only sit and daydream in parks but experts in Morse Code communication and boxing and people who are highly respected in their homeland Nepal.
It is hoped that the project can fulfil its founder’s anticipation in returning due respect and gratitude to the Gurkhas who have protected a piece of land miles and miles away from their homeland and raise awareness with regard to the history of Gurkha in Hong Kong.
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INDIAN
Similar reasons can be accounted for the settlement of Indians in Hong Kong. Indian troops have come to Hong Kong as early as 1840s when Hong Kong became British Hong Kong. Just as the Nepalese, they have made great contribution. One of the great examples would be establishing the HSBC Bank and Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody donating to establishment of The University of Hong Kong. Also, before the World War II, 60% of the police force was Sikhs.
According to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department ( 2011), 73.3% of the Indian population in Hong Kong are working as managers, administrators and professionals. Many of them work in banking and financial sector while some open their own shops and restaurants in Yau Tsim Mong area.
