Re Sri Lestari Handayani

HCAL 1900/2018

[2021] HKCFI 2064

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST

NO  1900 OF 2018

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Before: Deputy High Court Judge K.W. Lung in Chambers

Date of Decision: 29 July 2021

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D E C I S I O N

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The application

1.The applicant is an illegal immigrant and she lodged a non-refoulement claim with the Director of Immigration (the “Director”).  The Director rejected her application and she appealed to the Torture Claims Appeal Board (the “Board”).  Having considered her evidence, the Board, by its Decision (the “Board’s Decision”), rejected her appeal and affirmed the Director’s Decision.

2.Pursuant to Order 53, rule 3(2) of the Rules of the High Court (“RHC”), the applicant filed Form No. 86 to apply for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision.

3.By Order dated 4 August 2020 (the “Court’s decision”), the Court dismissed her application for the reason that there was no realistic prospect of success in her intended application.

4.The applicant filed a summons dated 4 September 2020 applying for extension of time to appeal against the Court’s decision.  The file was misplaced and the application was not able to be dealt with within the usual time.

5.In her affirmation in support of her application, she said that she was late because she did not receive the Court’s decision within reasonable time.

Discussion

6.Pursuant to Order 32, rule 11 and 11A of the RHC, having considered the applicant’s reason, I decide to determine this application without an oral hearing.

7.In Re Adumekwe Rowland Ejike [2019] HKCA 702, the Court of Appeal held:

“19. The prospect of success of the intended appeal is important: the court will not grant extension for a hopeless appeal to be pursued, see Re Rahman Wasif [2019] HKCA 299 at [13]; Re Kpamou Gbotoi Bernard [2019] HKCA 168; and Re Irshad Muhammad [2018] HKCA 864 at [16].”

8.The Boardconsidered the applicant’s evidence and, for the reasons set out in the Board’s Decision, came to the conclusion that it accepted the fact that she converted into Catholicism.  But it did not accept the facts she claimed that her brother-in-law had extra-marital affairs or that she and her brother had assaulted Teno or that Teno had threatened her.  The Board, having referred to the country of origin information, concluded that the fact that she had converted into Catholicism would not render her to any real risk of harm from other Indonesians of Muslim faith.  See paragraphs 88, 89, 106 and 107 of the Board’s Decision.  On the basis of the evidence, the Board did not accept that she would be subjected to any of the risks.

9.The applicant has not been able to say in what respect had the Board erred in its Decision.

10.Her ground in support of this application is not valid to show that she has any reasonable prospect of success in her intended appeal.

11.In the circumstances, I refuse to extend time for her appeal.  Accordingly, I dismiss her application.

The applicant was unrepresented.