Society
Inside Myanmar’s tightened passport system
- 2026-03-08
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Yuzhou Asher、Pann Hnin Nay ChiEdited by: ZHENG Xinyi
- 2026-03-08
In early 2023, 28-year-old Scarlett, not her real name, queued up to enter Thailand at the Thai-Myanmar border, clutching her passport as she waited for her turn at the checkpoint. This was not for studying abroad, but an escape for survival. She feared that staying longer would permanently strip her of the possibility of leaving legally. “If my passport were scanned at the airport, I am afraid that it would be flagged,” said Scarlett. “That’s why I chose to leave from the Thai-Myanmar border,” she said, referring to its less stringent procedures. When she stepped up to the counter, the officer flipped through her red passport and looked at her briefly. “Okay, next,” said the immigration officer. He waved her through without running the passport through a scanner. Scarlett exited the gate and dared not slow down until she reached Thailand. Since the 2021 military coup, Myanmar’s passport system has increasingly functioned as a tool of exit control rather than merely a document for international travel. According to a 2025 report by the Danish Immigration Service, Myanmar authorities have circulated files of blacklisted people to airports and border checkpoints, allowing immigration officers to identify individuals and bar them from leaving the country with a passport scan. Those barred from leaving include participants in the Civil Disobedience Movement — a nationwide non-violent protest campaign that started in February 2021, in which civil servants went on strike in protest of military rule following the coup. More than 417,000 civil servants had joined the movement, according to an official brief from the National Unity Government of Myanmar. The movement was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Scarlett was one of them. Before the 2021 movement, she worked as a doctor at a public hospital. After the military seized power, she joined …
Shelters and government housing for street sleepers don’t meet needs, experts say
- 2026-03-04
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Jinyang Carlos、ZHANG Jiahe RoysEdited by: CHEN Ziyu
- 2026-03-04
At night, Wong Hiu-fan, a 46-year-old former street sleeper, returns to her temporary home at the Jockey Club Hostel in Lok Fu, a single bed in a dormitory room she shares with other women. She stores her personal belongings in a small locker she has a key for. For her, it is a warm harbour and a place to restart her life after a period she described as “full of worries". Wong became a street sleeper six months ago -- after losing her job at a temple -- which she had relied on for income, meals and accommodation. After sleeping on the street for a while, Wong moved into the temporary shelter in Lok Fu. According to the Labour and Welfare Bureau, Wong was one of around 750 street sleepers in Hong Kong last year. To get off the street, many look for places in temporary shelters funded by the Social Welfare Department or NGO-funded hostels like this one in Lok Fu. Those who are eligible and lucky can move into government transitional housing units. The Lok Fu hostel where Wong lives in is a shelter managed by the NGO Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council that provides six-month accommodation, including 16 beds for men and 26 for women for street sleepers and needy persons with a monthly rent of HK$2,000. Residents facing significant financial difficulties can apply for rent reduction. It is now fully occupied. Law Sze-ha, 35, a hostel supervisor of Lok Fu, said the hostel does not have enough beds to meet demand. While many residents wish to stay longer than the maximum six months allowed, the hostel must accommodate new applicants waiting for a spot. “A stable place to live is the foundation for starting a new life. We offer guidance and information to our residents for applying to …
Budget 2026: HK$50 million for Hongkongers to receive AI training
- 2026-02-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LI Yuzhou AsherEdited by: FENG Zhenpeng
- 2026-02-25
Hong Kong government will provide HK$50 million to invite public organizations to hold AI training courses for residents. The government will also provide HK$2 billion to improve AI education in primary, secondary schools, and universities, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po in the budget plan on Wednesday. “While AI is advancing at a rapid pace, both students and teachers lack a basic understanding of it and the ability to apply it in practice; fewer than one in ten people have a grasp of it,” said Simon Wang, 48, a lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University computer assisted language learning department. According to data research by Google, of the 4,446 US employees surveyed, only 40% of them have adopted AI in their work, and 5% are AI fluent. In the budget, Chan said public universities will launch 27 undergraduate courses that relate to AI. “HKBU has launched AI and Data Science as a new second major, and the computer science major includes Applied AI as a core course. Computer Science Department holds a supportive attitude to the application of AI in university education,” said Byron Choi Koon Kau, a professor from the Hong Kong Baptist University Computer Science Department. “Most professors still have a low acceptance of AI. Some assignments that could have been completed better with AI are not allowed to be used. It is necessary to fully implement AI training and education,” Wang said. In response to the budget plan for AI training, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers said, "We suggest that the government provide more systematic teachers’ AI training programs and add special subsidies to support all teachers in Hong Kong to take AI courses." According to Wen Hui Net, at the beginning of this month, the Education Bureau provided over 70,000 systematic AI training opportunities …
Budget 2026: MTR expansion to Shenzhen fully operational by 2035 to enhance cross-border transportation
- 2026-02-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Li Yinheng、XIE Xinni CindyEdited by: Lou Zhengzheng
- 2026-02-25
The MTR expansion with the Northern Link will open before 2034 and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link the following year, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in the budget plan today. The Northern Link will be used to connect the Tun Ma Line and the East Rail Line and extends to the Huanggang Port in Shenzhen, while the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link will run to Shenzhen Bay Port. Both will connect to Shenzhen’s railways. “The strategies will focus on public transportation, and promote the flow of people and goods within the Greater Bay Area,” Chan said. MTR’s official website reports that the total passenger flow on the MTR border crossings is projected to be 106.673 million in 2025, which is the highest number in the past three years. Chen Nga-Yau, 20, a local university student living on Hong Kong Island, travels between Shenzhen and Hong Kong once every two weeks. Chen said Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau MTR stations are especially crowded on weekends and holidays and sometimes she has to wait for 30 minutes to return. “If I want to go to Bao’an District in Shenzhen, I need to change two modes of transportation to get to Shenzhen Bay Port,” Chen added. “It’s really too troublesome.” According to the MTR Corporation 2025 Results Report, HK$140 billion will be invested in developing new railway projects. Zou Zhang, 37, Business Manager of China Railway Rolling Stock Qingdao Sifang Company (the major supplier of MTR train cars), said the company has already begun technical preparations and signaling system research for the construction of the Western Railway and Northern Link. Peng Huiwen, 31, Hong Kong University urban planning lecturer, said that the connection between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen MTRs is of great help in promoting the integration …
Budget 2026: Hong Kong to increase elderly care vouchers, but long waiting list persists
- 2026-02-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: MA Yifan Chloe、LIU Rui ReenaEdited by: CHEN Xiyun
- 2026-02-25
Hong Kong is set to increase funding to boost capacity for elderly community and home care vouchers by up to 33% which could benefit more citizens but shortage of service provision remains. Speaking in his budget speech on Wednesday, Secretary of Finance Paul Chan Mo-po said the increase will allow 4,000 more elderly citizens to receive subsidised community care and another 1,000 people to receive discounted residential care services. Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organisation, welcomed the move as previous provisions could hardly meet the demand of Hong Kong elderly people’s needs. “But the problem of inadequate service provision remains,” Sze said, referring to service waiting time continuing to be an issue. “The government has made significant efforts to assist the elderly but caregivers of elderly people also need support,” said Wong Lai-ying, 59, who is for her 98-year-old mother. Wong’s mom lives alone in Kwun Tong with a urinary catheter attached, which requires Wong to take her to the hospital twice a week for kidney check-ups. Each visit could take up four hours as she works in the Hong Kong International Airport. It’s the fifth year that Wong’s mom has failed to gain eligibility for residential care services. Last year, 14,346 applicants were on the waiting list for subsidised community care services, and 17,664 queued to enter the nursing homes that are covered by the current vouchers schemes, according to the Social Welfare Department. According to the 2021 Population Census, 16.6% of persons aged 60 and over living in households require long-term care. “We hope the government can continue to increase funding for more elderly community care vouchers in order to cut down waiting time of elderly homes, ” Sze said.
Budget 2026 Key Takeaways: Prioritise innovation to drive Hong Kong’s economy
- 2026-02-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHAN Hiu Ying、LAU Ka YanEdited by: CHAN Hiu Ying
- 2026-02-25
Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered the 2026-2027 Budget speech on Wednesday, announcing that the operating account has returned to surplus after three years of deficit. He said Hong Kong should focus on technological innovation and seize related opportunities to boost economic growth. For the coming fiscal year, total government expenditure will increase by about 6.9% to HK$843.4 billion, while total government revenue is estimated at HK$765.2 billion. Chan expects that there will be a consolidated surplus of HK$22.1 billion for the year, and the fiscal reserves will increase to HK$679.3 billion. Here are the key takeaways of this year’s budget plan.
Budget 2026: Hong Kong to continue to attract global talent while nurturing locals
- 2026-02-25
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: SHI Puxuan Amy、WU Sitan ElaineEdited by: ZHANG Yiping
- 2026-02-25
Hong Kong will step up efforts in attracting top global talents while nurturing local talents, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po in his budget speech on Wednesday. Chan said that the government would continue to advance the current scheme. But gave no details on how they would increase recruitment. Critics of the government’s Top Talent Pass Scheme, a mechanism targeting high-income earners and top graduates, say the scheme takes jobs away from locals, while nearly half of external talents didn’t choose to extend their visas. “The Top Talent Pass Scheme draws over 100,000 global elites, contributing to Hong Kong's economic development,” Chan said, adding that the government particularly seeks to attract leading scientific research experts. The Top Talent Scheme was estimated to contribute about HK$34 billion to Hong Kong’s economy annually, equivalent to around 1.2% of the city’s GDP, according to the Labour and Welfare Bureau. Bibi Lam, 26, said that when she first arrived in Hong Kong through the Top Talent Pass Scheme after graduating from a university in Australia three years ago, she felt a great deal of pressure in finding affordable housing and a job. “I need to pay HK$8,500 per month for a small flat of less than 20 square metres while everything is expensive. It felt suffocating,” said Lam. “I think the biggest difficulty when I just arrived in Hong Kong was finding my first job,” Lam said, adding that many people she knows eventually had to leave Hong Kong after failing to secure employment. Her first job as an administrative assistant required frequent overtime and involved work unrelated to her marketing background. “It felt like being boiled slowly in warm water,” she said. She finally found a satisfactory job in marketing in August last year after several job changes and said she will stay …
Migrants risk death in the Alps to reach France
- 2026-02-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: LEUNG Chi NgaiEdited by: SIU Tsz Hang
- 2026-02-11
“Good luck. Danger – call 112,” a volunteer from a refugee shelter reiterated to a group of around 15 migrants at the bus stop in Oulx, an Italian town near the border with France, on Dec. 4, 2025. To avoid being caught by the French police when they crossed the border, these migrants were planning to ascend the 2,000-metre Alps to reach France that night. Others have died on this same route before. If these migrants get in trouble in the mountains, emergency operators will put them in touch with the Italian Red Cross to save them. An hour later, their bus arrived at Claviere – a small Italian Alps village near the French border – and the group began its climb into the mountains. Soon they found a shallow mountain cave, and they huddled inside to rest. It was below freezing. They wrapped their limbs with thermal blankets; some had bread with an energy drink; others lay on the floor for a nap. The mountains that claimed lives Thousands of migrants each year brave the mountain passes from Oulx in Italy to Mongenèvre in France to avoid police. Since the reintroduction of border controls by France after the 2015 Paris attacks, pushbacks by French border police to migrants in the Hautes-Alps region have become routine, even though denying access to asylum seekers is illegal under EU law. In early December, I visited Rifugio Fraternità Massi, a refugee shelter in Oulx, to report on African migrants. Oulx is the major transition point prior to their departure to either the more popular, southwest town of Claviere or the northwest town of Bardonecchia before crossing the border. The around 30 sq-metre reception was filled with chairs; drawn pictures in English, Arabic and other languages with various countries' flags were stuck onto the …
Kowloon City's Tei Mou Koon closes after 42 years in business
- 2026-02-10
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: SHI Puxuan Amy、WU Sitan ElaineEdited by: Fu Rong
- 2026-02-10
After 42 years of catering for Kowloon City residents, Tei Mou Koon closed on Jan. 31. The restaurant closed due to the increase in rent and the development scheme of Kowloon City. Many people expressed their reluctance. For local residents, coming to this restaurant gives them a sense of being back home.
International Education Fair Myanmar records lowest turnout since relaunch in 2023
- 2026-02-04
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Pann Hnin Nay ChiEdited by: CHEN Xiyun
- 2026-02-04
Yangon, Myanmar - The International Education Fair Myanmar 2026 drew around 300 registered visitors, a 40% decline compared to last year and the lowest turnout since the event resumed in 2023, according to the fair’s public menu. Aimed at connecting local students with both domestic and international institutions, the fair falls Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 in Yangon, organised by Dagon Exhibition Limited. “Some institutions are strong at marketing but may offer a different experience after enrolment, ” said Phoo Sone Nyi Tun, 24, who came to seek a potential university for her younger sister. “We don’t have the chance to visit the campuses in person now, so this is the only way to check,” Phoo Sone Nyi Tun said. Naing Lin Tun, 17, said, “I came to the fair to look for alternative universities and understand what options are still open for this year's intake.” He dropped out of a “2+2 degree” programme at INTI International University in Malaysia, which promised students the opportunity to complete the final two years of college in the United States. “The main reason I enrolled was the transfer pathway. I expected the programme to be a stepping stone, but without the chance to transfer to the United States, I felt the education I was receiving wasn’t strong enough for me to continue,” Naing Lin Tun said. According to the National Immigration Forum, Burmese residents were no longer eligible to obtain a student visa to the United States after a travel ban announced in 2025. To address families’ concerns and the long-term loss of talents, the local community hopes more international institutions establish their branches in Myanmar, said Nay Oke, 82, patron of College and University Association Myanmar. “If these schools establish local campuses, young people won’t need to leave the country to access …