A prominent barrister and former refugee, who arrived in the UK as a Vietnamese 'boat person,' has issued a powerful warning to the British government. Drawing from her own childhood experience in Hong Kong's squalid migrant camps, she sees alarming parallels with the UK's current treatment of asylum seekers in disused hotels and barges.
In a deeply personal critique, she describes the UK's asylum accommodation policy as a system of 'de facto detention' that dangerously mirrors the hopelessness and limbo she witnessed in the 1970s. She argues that housing people in isolated locations without a clear process or timeline is not just inhumane, but a betrayal of the compassionate values that once welcomed her.
From Past Trauma to Present-Day Warning
The author's family fled Vietnam by boat, eventually reaching the overcrowded and unsanitary camps of Hong Kong. She recounts the profound psychological toll of living in a state of perpetual uncertainty, a feeling she recognises in the faces of those trapped in the UK's asylum system today.
She powerfully states that the UK is now 'replicating the model of the Hong Kong camps' by creating a system designed to deter and demoralise, rather than offer safe haven and a fair hearing. The use of former military bases and floating barges only deepens this sense of isolation and despair.
A Call to Uphold British Values
The article serves as a stark reminder of Britain's proud history of offering sanctuary, from the Kindertransport to the Ugandan Asian refugees. The author appeals to the public and policymakers to remember this legacy and reject policies that create a two-tier system of human worth.
She concludes with an urgent plea: the UK must not become what it once helped her escape. Instead of warehousing people in conditions that echo historical failures, the nation must return to a fair, efficient, and compassionate asylum process that upholds its long-standing humanitarian ideals.
