June 1998 Race Discrimination in Nightclubs

Chinese and Indians are found to be charged more while Caucasian can walkin free in some of the nightclubs in Wanchai area.

Nightclubs charge customers according to their race. In four out of six bars surveyed by the South China Morning Post, while Caucasian male customers need not pay, Chinese men are charged about $150 and Indians arecharged up to $300.

Club managers said the charges were imposed to try to prevent Chinese, Indians, Nepalese and Filipinos entering bars because "they get drunkmore easily than Westerners" and "always flight and cause trouble".

Indian pressure group Indian Resources Group director Ravi Gidumal said it'soutrageous that bars servicing the needs of a very small white expatriate community would go to the extent of discriminating against themajority of Hong Kong.

Local human rights group urged the enactment of anti-racism legislation again. The Home Affairs Bureau introduced the consultation paper onanti-racial discrimination in February 1997 but opposed to take action in protecting people's equal opportunities in this area through law after the consultation. Instead, the bureau funded 12 community projects in totalrelating to combating discrimination on the grounds of race or sexualorientation.

June 1998