Activists fear HK immigration bill will allow arbitrary travel bans

FILE PHOTO: British National Overseas passports (BNO) and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China passports sit on top of baggage in Hong Kong, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

HONG KONG (Reuters) - An immigration bill on Hong Kong's legislative agenda for Wednesday would give authorities virtually unlimited powers to prevent residents and others entering or leaving the former British colony, lawyers, diplomats and rights groups say.

The government says the bill merely aims to screen illegal immigrants at source amid a backlog of asylum applications, and does not affect movement rights.