HONG KONG, Nov 17: Ethnic Indians in Hong Kong have been practically unaffected by the political changes in this island nation after it merged with Mainland China, although a sense of insecurity still grips them.

``The 28,000 ethnic Indians living here have not been affected by the July 1 hand-over of Hong Kong to China by the British,'' says an Indian embassy official.

``Speaking of the day-to-day living atmosphere, there is no difference in Hong Kong after its merger,'' says Indian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong (ICCHK) deputy secretary F H Wan.

``Everything is going on well at present and the situation is the same as before. But it is also too early to say anything,'' says Sandy, Bharat Ratna editor.

P Jaganmohan Ram, senior manager with Patel's Wall Street Exchange says, ``there is no change in the status of ethnic Indians here.''

Many other Indians based here also agree that the Chinese take-over of the island has not affected them. ``What has taken place is a political change and we have nothing to do with it. For us, business is more important than these issues,'' says a bank official from India.

But for people like Murli Bulchand, who has been living here for over three decades, the Chinese move to issue a new citizenship card is a welcome step. Last month, China decided to issue new identity cards for Hong Kong residents. In keeping with the understanding reached with Britain, it is offering permanent residentship to those who have been here for over seven years.

``China has given us the right of abode which means that my assets worth over million (Hong Kong) dollars are secure,'' says Bulchand.

The Chinese are trying to fulfill the assurance while the island was handed over to them, says a Karnataka native based here.

Mohammed Ismail, a Tamil residing here for over 30 years, says Indians have not felt any real change after the hand-over but is cautious about the new legislature that is to be set up soon. Last week, Hong Kong began the process of selecting their representatives to China's People's Party.

Wan agrees that from the economic point of view it is too early to say anything about the impact of the new set-up on the Indians.

``It is basically this fact from which the sense of insecurity stems,'' says Ismail.

``The sense of insecurity is basically in view of the experiences of Indians in Shanghai during the 40s and 50s. They are yet to get over it,'' says the Indian embassy official.

``Such a sense of insecurity is felt by many people,'' adds Izzudin H Talib. But, he says, it will not help and ultimately, it is for the individuals to get over the situation. ``What did the government in New Delhi do when Indians were on the run in Uganda in the 70s?'' he wonders.

But Wan shrugs off the fear. ``China has made a commitment and is going all out to prove that it stands by it,'' he says. Recently, the state administrative region's chief executive officer Tung Chee-Hwa visited Japan and other South Asian countries to promote Hong Kong. ``That shows China's commitment towards Hong Kong,'' Wan argues.

A native of Bombay employed in a hotel chain says China is probably playing a waiting game. ``It cannot go in for a sudden change. That will lead to a general mistrust among the Hong Kong residents,'' he says.

A Sikh running a restaurant says it has been the feeling of insecurity that has led to a downfall in business but others disagree pointing out to the worldwide recession.

Indian embassy officials say few Indians have left Hong Kong after the merger. ``Even those who have left this place are basically those who have business interests in places like Singapore,'' they say.

But moving into the island or being employed here is no more an easy task, some of the new immigrants say. A hotel employee says for those who have been in the region during the last couple of years, immigration formalities have become tough.

A bank official says the immigration formalities became tough since the beginning of the year when the hand-over formalities began. ``This is basically to ensure that no one immigrated here in search of jobs,'' he says.Indian embassy officials agree that immigration formalities have become tough of late. Earlier, any senior immigration authority could decide on the immigrant status of a person coming here but now the powers have been delegated to the airport officials, who seem to be keen on reducing the inflow into the region, they say.

Despite all this, Indians here are going about their jobs in the usual manner in expectation of a better future.