Hong Kong Unison, a group advocating the rights of the city's ethnic minorities, on Friday announced it was starting its dissolution process, saying its “historical mission has been successfully accomplished.”

Speaking to reporters after an executive committee meeting, committee chair Alice Chong said winding up the group was not an abrupt decision and it had started discussions around two or three years ago.

She said 16 out of 17 members with voting rights supported the disband motion, adding it had nothing to do with political or financial matters.

“There are already more than 30 NGOs and groups that are now providing services and support in education, welfare, job and health to ethnic minority people. We are sure that they will be in good hands. We are also happy to [see] the government [has made] ethnic minority people as one of their priorities,” she said.

Chong said the decision was backed by most former board members.

She also noted the group had about HK$4 million in assets and after covering staff severance and long-term service pay, the rest of the money would be donated to other charity groups with similar goals.

The organisation’s former executive director, John Tse, said he had not been consulted and called the move to disband “irresponsible”.

“How can we say that we’ve accomplished what we set out for? No one would say that, because look at the Hong Kong society, racism, discrimination against ethnic minorities, they’re so common,” he said.

Tse also noted the process of planning for winding up started back in September, but he was only instructed to stop receiving donations in late January.

He added he and two other former staff members were planning to start a new group to continue their work helping ethnic minorities.

Former project officer Javria Khalid said she was let go a month ago.

“I’m so hurt, I feel like that we have let our ethnic community down,” she said. “I'm so speechless right now. I don't even know how to tell the parents, the students, the awardees, everyone that Unison is shut down.”

She said about 100 people, as well as over 10 ongoing projects, which include Chinese classes and mental health counselling sessions, would be affected.

Hong Kong Unison was founded in 2001 and was registered as a charitable organisation four years later.

It advocated for various policy changes to improve ethnic minority rights in Hong Kong, including the promotion of teaching of Chinese as a second language as well as getting the Race Discrimination Ordinance to come into effect in 2009.