Indian business leaders angry over proposal to abolish Hong Kong visa waiver programme for compatriots
Business leaders say their compatriots will avoid Hong Kong on their way to the mainland if the visa waiver programme is abolished
Some of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong's Indian community have lashed out at suggestions to end the visa waiver programme for Indian nationals, saying such a scenario would be a "nightmare" for business and tourism.
They warned that the move would result in visitors bypassing Hong Kong as their traditional transit point en route to the mainland and it would not be fitting for the status of Asia's so-called "World City".
"This will send a very negative message," said Rajkumar Sabnani, a long-time Hong Kong resident from India and committee member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in the city. "This will result in a loss to Hong Kong, I believe."
The Security Bureau has said it is considering scrapping the programme for Indians in an effort to curb the number of asylum seekers.
The idea was mooted by members of the Liberal Party, who on Tuesday met with officials from the bureau to discuss the allegedly increasing number of refugees applying for asylum in Hong Kong.
However, the timing of the proposal shocked Sabnani, who pointed out that the Indian government just weeks ago announced an electronic visa scheme for Chinese people to visit India.
"The Indian economy is starting to boom and people want to travel. If this new policy is enacted, businessmen will no longer come to Hong Kong on their way to China," he said.
