On 28 March, Hong Kong’s court of appeal overturned a previous landmark ruling that had opened the door for thousands of foreign maids to claim residence in Hong Kong.
The lawyers of Evangeline Vallejos, who had brought the case to court, said they would take the case — the first of its kind in Asia — all the way to the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong’s highest court.
“The interpretation of the law creates a second-class citizen,” counsel Mark Daly told AFP. ”We will continue on to the Court of Final Appeal until we get justice.”
Rights advocates said the ruling sent the wrong message to other Asian nations that relied on poorly paid maids from less wealthy countries to toil at jobs locals no longer wanted to do. Hong Kong has around 300,000 foreign domestic helpers mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Der philippinische Aktivist Michel Catuira, Vorsitzender der südkoreanischen Migrantengewerkschaft (MTU), hatte vor Gericht Einspruch gegen seine geplante Ausweisung eingelegt. Am 15. September 2011 urteilte das Verwaltungsgericht Seoul, Bestrebungen der koreanischen Einwanderungsbehörde, Catuira aus Südkorea auszuweisen, seien mit südkoreanischen Rechtsgrundsätzen und international verbrieften Menschenrechten unvereinbar. Die Einwanderungsbehörde legte nun Berufung ein und lehnt es weiterhin ab, Catuiras Antrag auf Verlängerung seines Visums stattzugeben. Amnesty International ruft daher nun zu einer Urgent Action auf.
Trailer for the film, Pinoy Sunday - a lighthearted feature film that tells the story of one Sunday in the life of two migrant Philippine workers in Taiwan. Directed by Wi-Ding Ho, originally from Malaysia, and starring Bayani Agbayani and Jeffrey Quizon.
