Two thirds of Chinese families have been forced out of a south Belfast neighbourhood where racist thugs are trying to block their attempts to build a centre, it was claimed today.
The exodus from Donegall Pass emerged as community workers and police spoke out against a sinister new campaign to drive more away.
It involved the distribution of leaflets urging residents in the predominantly Protestant district to resist a so-called "yellow invasion".
The flyers referred to plans for a Chinese centre, adding: "I wonder will the Donegall Pass community get offered the use of their facilities?"
Ms Anna Lo of the Chinese Welfare Association described the poisonous pamphlet as a call for ethnic cleansing.
"Some people know who wrote this and we would urge them to come forward to the police. We have seen 30 years of sectarianism ruin Northern Ireland. We don't want this to fester and ruin community relations," she added.
Ms Lo said that at its height the Chinese community numbered around 60
families in Donegall Pass.
"There are only 23 families left because people were intimidated out of the area."
This latest incident emerged in a week in which the Policing Board of Northern Ireland urged police to tackle rising levels of racial and homophobic attacks.
Inspector Darrin Jones of Donegall Pass police station said they would do everything they could to ensure all ethnic minority families were protected.
"The leaflet contained very anti-Chinese sentiments. There were fairly
inflammatory words used, encouraging people in Donegall Pass to get rid of Chinese in the area.
"We are concerned. We have been working very closely with the local community and with the local ethnic groups and we have made great progress in the last two or three months."