A world renowned refugee advocate has called on Hong Kong to change how it views asylum seekers, and said the city needs a more transparent screening mechanism.

Professor Yiombi Thona, who was jailed in his native country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, for whistle blowing and was forced to flee in 2002, now lives in South Korea.

During a talk organised by the NGO Justice Centre Hong Kong, he said things in Hong Kong have to improve.

Victoria Wisniewski Otero, the advocacy and campaigns manager at Justice Centre, said a major concern for them is growing discrimination against these people based on unfounded security concerns.

Thona and Otero agree that people here should have more empathy – as many residents have family who fled to Hong Kong during the cultural revolution in the mainland.