UK’s Home Office unveiled on Monday (26 June) details of funding under the BNO Welcome Programme for the third year. Forty-seven organisations in the country received funding from £19,400 to £400,000, amounting to £2.99 million in total. The government said it will announce further welcome details for each beneficiary and their contact information. Meanwhile, the Chaser has discovered one of the grant recipients is chaired by someone who made a video appearance at an event marking the centennial anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021, and was personally praised by Zheng Xiyuan, the former Chinese Consul-General in Manchester involved in the beating of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester in 2022.
The government, via Strategic Migration Partnerships’ welcome hubs, works with various organisations, giving them grants, to help Hongkongers settle in the UK. Organisations applying for funding submitted their proposals by March 31 to be assessed by the government. The welcome programme has three main categories, namely hate crime prevention support, national projects and projects led by local authorities. This year, the highest grant for hate crime prevention amounts to £400,000, those of national projects and local projects are £300,000 and £40,000 respectively.
Claims of Political Neutrality
The Manchester-based Wai Yin Society, a women’s organisation, is one among the 47 grant recipients, having been awarded nearly £40,000. The society was founded in 1988. Since then, Chinese officials from the Chinese Consulate in Manchester have been paying visits, amongst them Zheng Xiyuan in 2018. Many websites serving Chinese overseas students and expats in the UK also list out information about the society, calling it a British Chinese society.
According to reports, Juanita Yau, Chair of Wai Yin Society, appeared via video in an event for “Manchester Chinese expats celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party” in 2021. Zheng mentioned her in a speech, praising her for “helping Chinese compatriots” during the Covid pandemic, and for “staunchly opposing hate crimes against Chinese and Chinese students.” The society released a statement in August last year, dismissing accusations circling on social media as unjust and untrue, emphasising its non-political stance, diversity, and neutrality in politics and religion.
Hong Kong Expats, Good Neighbour Church awarded grants
The authorities so far have only announced details for hate crime prevention support “Protection Approaches”. The organisation was registered in 2014 as a company limited by guarantee. At present it has seven directors. “Protection Approaches” provides 24-hour hotline and online reporting services through “On Your Side” for ethnic East Asians and Southeast Asians who fall victims to hate crimes.
At the same time, the government granted £1.07 million to four national projects. Recipients include the long-standing charity Barnado’s, and the recently-established Hongkongers in Britain, Good Neighbour Church England and Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers. Good Neighbour Church England said they are honored to be awarded and thank all for their work and support. They hope to collect more ideas from Hong Kongers as a guide for planning their future services.
Across the UK there are 42 organisations receiving funding for their local projects: 11 in London, 6 in southeast and northwest England. Many are recent establishments, such as HKAID for those in need of political asylum, receiving a grant of nearly £40,000. Hongkongers’ organisations in Guildford, Oxford and Trafford in Greater Manchester are also awarded.
