South Asians in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong has a long-established South Asian population, estimated at around 35,000, making them one of Hong Kong's largest minority groups. Although they may have origins in India (pre- or post- partition), Pakistan, or Sri Lanka, they are often referred to collectively as simply Indians. While many have history in Hong Kong that date back several generations, relatively few hold Chinese citizenship, due to legal complexities.
History
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Legal Status
Due to the difficulties of Chinese Nationality Law, and the People's Republic of China's reluctance to grant citizenship to ethnic minorities upon the 1997 handover, relatively few South Asians hold PRC citizenship. Many of them hold Indian citizenship or have the status of British National (Overseas).
See also British nationality law and Hong Kong
Demographics
The South Asians of Hong Kongs include different subgroups owing to their diverse geographic, linguistic, and religious origins.
Nepalese|Nepalese people in Hong Kong are mainly ex-British Army Gurkhas who, on leading army service decided to remain in Hong Kong. Due to the Brigade of Gurkhas being based in Hong Kong during the 1970s up until the handover, many Gurkhas gained the length of time of residency to remain in Hong Kong as permanent residents. Thus there is a particulary high Nepalese population in Shek Kong, Yuen Long District, which was one of the main bases of the British army.
Many ex-Gurkhas now work as security guards to earn a living, principally for Jardine Securicor.
The Sindhi people originate from the the Sindh, an area which now lies in modern-day Pakistan due to the partition of India. There exists a large Sindhi diaspora, from which the Hong Kong Sindhi population originates. They form the largest group of Indians in Hong Kong, and are predominantly Hindu. The Sindhi population has historically played an important role in trading and business.
A smaller group, the Sikh population originates from the Punjab region in India and Pakistan. They adhere to [[1]], and unlike the Sindhi population, historically held occupations as guards, watchmen, and soldiers.
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Others
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Languages
The South Asians of Hong Kong are usually multilingual, with many attaining trilingual fluency or more. Most are fluent in both English and a mother tongue (such as Sindhi or Punjabi), and many are fluent in Cantonese and/or Hindi as well. In addition, some may also study Sanskrit or Arabic for religious reasons.
References
See also
Sikhs
External links
Nepalese