The Hong Kong parents of undocumented baby Danny have expressed confidence that they can obtain legal guardianship of their son, who is now in a care home, as immigration authorities could process his birth certificate as early as Saturday.
The unmarried couple also said they saw a “glimmer of hope” in resolving the custody case of their four-year-old daughter Lily, whom Swedish authorities have taken into care over child welfare concerns.
“We believe the social workers will handle the matter in a balanced approach, and we can soon apply to visit him,” Tsang Wai-bong, Danny’s father, told the South China Morning Post on Friday evening.
“Whether we can reunite with him depends on the social workers’ investigation to determine if our capability to care, household environment and social engagement meet their criteria. We do not think there will be any big problems.”
Tsang said he and his partner Kwan Pui-sin would meet with government social workers on Saturday morning and planned to visit the Immigration Department to deal with Danny’s birth registration if time permitted.
A department spokesman confirmed on Friday night that the birth certificate would be processed after DNA tests confirmed the couple’s biological relationship with Danny.
“After thorough investigation, we have confirmed that the baby was born in Hong Kong and have contacted the parents to complete the birth registration procedures at the Birth Registry,” he said.
The development came after the parents were arrested on suspicions of child neglect and later released on bail. The court instructed that Danny be placed in a care home.
The parents told the SCMP that they were also confident of being found innocent, as a medical examination of Danny showed no obvious injuries.
Danny was born at home in Hong Kong, and the parents did not register him with the department as required by law after they declined to submit a DNA test report to prove their relationship, citing privacy and religious reasons. Tsang declined to discuss his religion on Friday.
The case has sparked citywide concern over Danny’s welfare.
It came to light through the pair’s social media account “Save Lily”, where they have been calling for her return from Sweden.
Tsang and Kwan gave birth to their first daughter in 2019 at their home in Finland, but she died at the age of one month.
Lily was born at home in the north European country in 2021, but authorities refused her birth registration as the parents’ permanent address was in Hong Kong.
The family then moved to Sweden, where the parents were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, and Lily was placed in the care of authorities there.
Although the money-laundering case was dropped, the custody battle continues as the Swedish care order remains in place. The couple later returned to Hong Kong.
Speaking to the SCMP on Friday, Tsang said he and his partner had signed a declaration allowing Hong Kong authorities to transfer their DNA samples to Sweden to verify their relationship with Lily.
“We have seen a glimmer of hope in having Lily back, but the main obstacles lie on the Swedish side,” he said.
Tsang also said he and Kwan had learned a lesson, including that they should communicate better with the government and pay more attention to issues cared about by the public.
The couple had also reportedly opposed having their children vaccinated, and Tsang said they would consider it in the future based on several factors, including medical advice and the choices of the children.
He also said they had reached out to the department after Danny’s birth, but officials did not communicate clearly enough to convince them of the necessity of submitting a DNA test report.
“The communication was insufficient, … so a home birth risked ending up with alleged child neglect,” Tsang said, saying there should be better support for home births.