21 August 2020
The Immigration Department (ImmD) responded again on August 21 the untrue report on the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC) by an individual media and expressed deep regrets over it.
The ImmD repeatedly stressed that the department has all along strictly followed the relevant provisions under the Immigration (Treatment of Detainees) Order (The Order), Cap. 115E laws of Hong Kong to ensure that the detainees are treated fairly and properly.
In accordance with the Order, all detainees at the CIC can be visited by relatives and friends. During the visits, detainees at the CIC can receive hand-in articles including food (e.g. chocolate and crackers), daily necessities, private clothes, magazine, etc. The CIC should provide adequate food to the detainees at CIC free of charge.
At present, there were 11 detainees at the CIC who continued to opt for not collecting meals provided by the CIC. According to the records of the ImmD, a handful of them had once stopped consuming milk tea, milk and water provided by the CIC but all of them have now resumed taking the beverages. ImmD staff have been closely monitoring the health condition of the detainees concerned. The medical professionals on duty around the clock have conducted medical examinations for them, which include measuring their weight on daily basis and blood glucose levels on alternate days. So far, most of the detainees' blood glucose levels are normal and they are emotionally stable.
The Order also provides that if a detainee at the CIC complains of suffering from sickness or injury, the detainee should be provided with adequate medical attention at the CIC. At present, the medical service in the CIC is provided by an independent recognised medical organisation through an outsourced contract. The medical officer in the CIC has all along provided appropriate medical treatment to detainees, including prescription of the required medication, in strict accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners by the Medical Council of Hong Kong and by his own professional knowledge. If necessary, on the advice of the duty medical officer in the CIC, the detainee concerned will immediately be sent to a public hospital for further examination and receiving appropriate medical treatment. The detainee sent to the hospital will only be discharged after medical examination and the hospital will provide a detailed medical report on his health condition.
Meanwhile, based on the professional judgment of the duty medical officer in the CIC, the ImmD will immediately arrange the person in need to be sent to a hospital for medical consultation. As for the news report alleging that a detainee was forcibly sent to a hospital and received nutrition injection, the ImmD pointed out that these allegations are completely non-existent and total neglect of health and life safety of the person concerned. If the person concerned requests the hospital to conduct medical examination on the alleged injury, the ImmD will not and cannot obstruct so. Any person who alleges to have been treated violently under detention, he or she may immediately lodge a complaint with the ImmD or report to the Police for assistance. The ImmD and the concerned enforcement department will handle the complaints in compliance with the prevailing laws in a serious and fairly manner.
In addition, detainees at the CIC may request to meet his lawyer and attend official visit. In fact, under the circumstances of not affecting the operation of the CIC, the ImmD has recently arranged several meetings with the detainees on the request of some Legislative Council members. Any detainee who alleges to have been treated unreasonably under detention, he may lodge a complaint with the Office of The Ombudsman, justices of peace or the ImmD. The complaints will be handled in a serious manner in compliance with the prevailing laws and procedures. Despite the current pandemic, the fortnightly visits by justices of the peace are still ongoing such that detainees in the CIC will have ample chances to make complaints.
The ImmD expressed deep regrets and strongly condemned anyone who has repeatedly fabricated groundless and unfair accusations, alleged that the ImmD staff has inhumanely treated the detainees. These allegations were void of objective facts and justifications to challenge the legality of the detention decision having no regard to the fact that some of the detainees may pose security risks to the community.