Dear Raquel Amador,

Thanks for your email of 5 November 2021.

Regarding your access to information request on the caption subject, you
may wish to note that we did not receive the said request mentioned in
your email before. Your request, which was received by us only via your
email below on 5 November 2021, is now under our active processing.

Best regards

(Mr. W M Fung)
for Director of Immigration

From:        Raquel Amador <[FOI #876 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Immigration Department <[Immigration Department request email]>
Date:        05/11/2021 10:54
Subject:        [Possible SPAM] Re: Freedom of Information request - Strip
searches in immigration detention

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Dear Immigration Department,

I am writing to inquire whether my data request dated Oct 21, 2021 was
received. Please see the original request below for reference and kindly
respond soon.

Yours faithfully,

Raquel Amador

* * *

Dear Immigration Department,

I am writing to make a data access request regarding strip searches in
immigration detention facilities. May I know, in each of the years between
2010 – 2021:

A) The number of strip searches conducted by the Immigration Department,
broken down by

I) Sex of the detainee (male, female, transgender)

II) Purpose of the search

III) Type of search

IV) Detention facility where the search was conducted

If a CSV or Excel format is possible, I would greatly appreciate it.

Yours faithfully,

Raquel Amador

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[FOI #876 email]

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the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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References

Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Our ref. : ImmD RM/6-5/10/2021/666(R)

Dear Raquel Amador,
 

I refer to your request for information under the Code on Access to
Information received on 5 November 2021.

As time is required to gather information from various parties, we are
unable to provide you with the information sought at this stage.  Pursuant
to paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, you will be
advised further in relation to your reques on or before 25 November 2021.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please contact the
undersigned at 2829 4148.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Regards,

LEUNG Noel

for Director of Immigration

To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.

show quoted sections

Our ref. : ImmD RM/6-5/10/2021/666(R)

Dear Raquel Amador,

I refer to your request for information under the Code on Access to
Information dated on 5 November 2021 and our interim reply of 12 November
2021. 

In relation to strip searches conducted by the Immigration Department in
each of the years between 2010 and 2021, I hereby provide you the
following information.

Part (I) & (II): Breakdown on sex of the detainee (male, female,
transgender) and purpose of the search.

After careful consideration of your application, I must advise you that we
are not prepared to provide the information requested for the reason set
out in paragraph 2.9(d) of the Code on Access to Information which states
that a department may refuse to disclose information which could only be
made available by unreasonable diversion of a department’s resources.

If you are not satisfied with the above decision, you may ask the
Department to review the decision by writing to the Director of
Immigration, whose address is:-

Immigration Tower

7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai

Hong Kong

Alternatively, you may complain to the Ombudsman, whose address is:-

30/F, China Merchants Tower

Shun Tak Centre

168-200 Connaught Road Central

Hong Kong

Telephone   :         2629 0555

Fax             :         2882 8149

Part (III) & (IV): Breakdown on type of search and detention facility
where the search was conducted.

The relevant information is appended in the excel file below.

I hope the above information is useful to you.

Regards,

Access to Information Officer

Immigration Department

To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.

show quoted sections

Dear Raquel Amador,
                 
Thank you for your email.

Your application is now under processing.  According to paragraph 1.16 of
the Code on Access to Information, our department will inform you of the
latest progress of the case separately on or before 21 December 2021.
Regards

(Mr. W M Fung)
for Director of Immigration

From:        Raquel Amador <[FOI #876 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Immigration Department <[Immigration Department request email]>
Date:        01/12/2021 14:00
Subject:        Re: Code on Access to Information [Our ref.: ImmD
RM/6-5/10/2021/666(R)]

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Dear Immigration Department,

Thank you for your reply and the data provided; the Excel format is much
appreciated.

I would like to clarify a couple items relevant to the data provided:

1) I note that for "removal of clothing during search conducted in
immigration detention facilities", there are statistics provided for 7
immigration detention facilities / locations. I would like to clarify
whether a) this type of search is conducted in other immigration detention
facilities (ex. other border / checkpoints) without data maintained or b)
this type of search is not conducted in other immigration detention
facilities at all and therefore the number of searches in the time period
would be 0 per year for any other immigration detention facility not
listed.

2) Similarly, I note that for "removal of clothing and underwear during
search conducted in immigration detention facilities", only data
pertaining to CIC was provided. I would like to clarify whether a) this
type of search is conducted in other immigration detention facilities (ex.
MTKDC, airport, border / checkpoints) without data maintained or b) this
type of search is not conducted in other immigration detention facilities
at all and therefore the number of searches in the time period would be 0
per year for any other immigration detention facility not listed.

3) I note that in certain columns " - " is used to represent figures. I
would like to clarify whether this " - " signifies a) "not applicable"
(ie. data is not maintained or other) or b) whether it is equivalent to
zero searches in that year.

Thank you for your help with this inquiry.

Yours faithfully,

Raquel Amador

show quoted sections

Dear Raquel Amador,

Please see the updated table which differentiated between "0" and "-" .
 "-" means the concerned data has been disposed according to relevant
records disposal schedule.

       
       
Regarding the respective type of search conducted in detention facilities
other than those listed in the table, the concerned data in or before 2015
have been disposed while zero searches were recorded from 2016 to Oct 2021
 (except those periods of which certain control points had not yet come
into operation, i.e.  Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point, Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point and  Heung Yuen Wai Boundary
Control Point which commenced operation in 2018-2020.)

We hope the above information is useful to you.
 
Best regards

Access to Information Officer
Immigration Department

From:        [Immigration Department request email]
To:        Raquel Amador <[FOI #876 email]>
Date:        09/12/2021 10:01
Subject:        Request for information under Code on Access to
Information( Application no. ImmD/RM/6-5/10/2021/699(R))

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Raquel Amador,
                 
Thank you for your email.

Your application is now under processing.  According to paragraph 1.16 of
the Code on Access to Information, our department will inform you of the
latest progress of the case separately on or before 21 December 2021.
Regards

(Mr. W M Fung)
for Director of Immigration

From:        Raquel Amador <[FOI #876 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Immigration Department <[Immigration Department request email]>
Date:        01/12/2021 14:00
Subject:        Re: Code on Access to Information [Our ref.: ImmD
RM/6-5/10/2021/666(R)]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Immigration Department,

Thank you for your reply and the data provided; the Excel format is much
appreciated.

I would like to clarify a couple items relevant to the data provided:

1) I note that for "removal of clothing during search conducted in
immigration detention facilities", there are statistics provided for 7
immigration detention facilities / locations. I would like to clarify
whether a) this type of search is conducted in other immigration detention
facilities (ex. other border / checkpoints) without data maintained or b)
this type of search is not conducted in other immigration detention
facilities at all and therefore the number of searches in the time period
would be 0 per year for any other immigration detention facility not
listed.

2) Similarly, I note that for "removal of clothing and underwear during
search conducted in immigration detention facilities", only data
pertaining to CIC was provided. I would like to clarify whether a) this
type of search is conducted in other immigration detention facilities (ex.
MTKDC, airport, border / checkpoints) without data maintained or b) this
type of search is not conducted in other immigration detention facilities
at all and therefore the number of searches in the time period would be 0
per year for any other immigration detention facility not listed.

3) I note that in certain columns " - " is used to represent figures. I
would like to clarify whether this " - " signifies a) "not applicable"
(ie. data is not maintained or other) or b) whether it is equivalent to
zero searches in that year.

Thank you for your help with this inquiry.

Yours faithfully,

Raquel Amador

show quoted sections