Hong Kong Nepalese Federation urge to rescue citizen stranded in Nepal, donate vaccines to Nepal

KATHMANDU: JULY 11 – The Hong Kong Nepalese Federation, an umbrella organization of Nepali expats in Hong Kong, has urged authorities in Hong Kong to rescue its citizens trapped in Nepal. Hong Kong citizens of Nepali origin remain stranded in Nepal after the beginning of the second wave of COVID-19. They have formally handed over the memorandum to the Hong Kong Government on Thursday.

According to Tanka Rana, the president of the federation, 1100 stranded Hong Kong citizens have written to the organization about their rescue flight from Nepal.

Rana said they handed over the memorandum to former minister of Hong Kong Government and incumbent legislature Starry Lee, legislature Vincent Cheng at the Office of Hong Kong Nepalese Federation located at Mong Kok, Nathan Road of Kowloon district of Hong Kong. The memorandum was handed over in the presence of former federation president duo Rita Gurung and Pradeep Thapa, President of Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce Dashuram Parajuli, philanthropist Puspa Gurung.

In the memorandum, the federation has also urged to Hong Kong Government to donate vaccines to Nepal. The federation has said just around two percent of Nepalese have been vaccinated so far. The federation has highlighted the important and historic ties between Nepal and Hong Kong in the memorandum.

”Hong Kong Government has taken this issue seriously and it is first priority for Hong Kong Government to rescue its citizens stuck in Nepal”, the federation president quoted Starry Lee, the former minister, and the incumbent legislature, after receiving the memorandum. Legislature Vincent talked about a possible G2G model for rescuing its citizens from Nepal and donating vaccines to Nepal.

John Lee, the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has said the decision would be made within July 14 after discussing with Starry Lee and Vincent Cheng, informed Rana.

Based on Hong Kong Nepalese Federation statistics, 70,000 Nepalese ex-pats are living in Hong Kong. Last week, the federation had donated 200 oxygen concentrators worth Rs 60 million to pandemic-hit patients of Nepal’s remotest areas. 100 oxygen concentrators are being distributed in districts of Karnali and Ramechhap district in association with local NGOs. The remaining 100 oxygen concentrators are yet to be airlifted to Nepal.