Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Officers break down language barriers to help residents understand lockdown

Officers break down language barriers to help residents understand lockdown

Members of ethnic minorities who work for city’s disciplinary services liaise with non-Chinese residents in Yau Tsim Mong. Officers say people viewed as difficult or uncooperative simply did not understand what was happening.

Dozens of officers who are members of ethnic communities in Hong Kong and work for the disciplinary services were sent to liaise with locked down residents on Saturday, many of whom had struggled to understand the restrictions imposed because of the language barrier.

Two of those officers from the Correctional Services Department, Cheema Parminderjit Singh and Tak Bahadur Thapa, said they had not hesitated to take part when asked to help.

The pair worked as a team to visit ethnic minority families to explain the members had to undergo testing and remain at home after the area in the heart of the Yau Tsim Mong district was sealed off at 4am on Saturday.

“It is for the good of the society and for the health of those [ethnic minority] residents too,” said Cheema, a 36-year-old of Indian origin employed at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre. “There is no reason they would not like to cooperate. It was mainly because they do not speak Chinese or English and they had difficulty understanding the requirements.

“I play the role not only as an interpreter. My appearance can also make them feel more comfortable and at ease because they see an Indian face and they can communicate with someone who speaks their language.”

In one instance, Cheema and other officers knocked on the door of a family where one brother had been tested, but the older one had not. The elder one had shouted at the officers for disturbing them.

“He might speak loudly because he was nervous, but that should not be mistaken for hostility,” said Cheema, who speaks Hindi, Urdu, Sinhala, Nepali, and Bengali, as well as English and Chinese.

“Once I explained to him that all people needed to get tested and it was for his health too. He was very cooperative.

“Many members of the Indian community in Hong Kong do not understand or speak Cantonese or English because often our family sizes are big. We live together and spend most of the time in our community. There is no pressing need for them to learn or practise Chinese or English.”



The head of the Centre for Health Protection’s health promotion branch, Raymond Ho Lei-ming, stepped into the controversy last week after he suggested that members of ethnic minorities were at risk of Covid-19 because of their behaviour.

“They have many family gatherings and like to gather with fellow countrymen,” Ho said. “They like to share food, smoke, drink alcohol and chat together. If it is without masks, the risk is high. They also need to share sanitary facilities with neighbours if the living environment is crowded.”

In response, city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reassured ethnic minority groups they were not being targeted based on race or ethnicity.

Cheema’s colleague, Tak Bahadur Thapa, who works at Pik Uk Correctional Institution in Sai Kung, said he used to live in Jordan and was happy to be involved.

“They [residents] are not trying to be resistant or uncooperative,” the 35-year-old from Nepal said. “They just did not understand what was going on. There were times a lot of explanation or persuasion was needed.

“But when they understood what the government was doing was for their good and the entire society’s benefit, they would have no problem taking tests or staying at home.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×