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| Security USec Cheuk meets with Thai justice officials in Bangkok |
Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang said earlier today that senior Thai officials have promised to do their best to help ensure the safe return of some 12 Hongkongers who were reportedly forced to do illegal work in Southeast Asia.
The SAR has so far received 28
requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents who claimed to have been detained
in the region, but 16 have already returned to the city.
The remaining 12 reported
being restricted in their movements but were safe, and could remain in touch
with a task force set up by the government to help them.
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The task force, led by Undersecretary
for Security Michael Cheuk, left for Bangkok yesterday to meet with Thai government
officials and representatives of the Chinese embassy.
Thailand’s help is being
sought as it often serves as the jump-off point for workers recruited from different
Asian countries including the Philippines, to work illegally in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and other nearby areas.
Last month, 27 Filipinos were
repatriated from Phnom Penh, Cambodia after being rescued from traffickers who
forced them to work as love scammers between late 2022 and early 2023.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Twelve of the 27 departed the
country illegally via boat from Zamboanga, while the remaining 14 left as
tourists who claimed they were traveling abroad for a holiday. One left as a documented
overseas Filipino worker but was supposedly bound for Palau and not Cambodia.
The rescued Filipinos said
they were made to scam elderly men living in the United Kingdom. Some said they
were abused and tortured in their workplace, and were later sold by their Chinese
employers to another company.
Another 13 pregnant Filipino
women hired to serve as surrogate mothers were also repatriated from Cambodia
on Dec. 29, after being charged and sentenced to four years in prison for
working with syndicates offering babies for sale to foreigners.
The women were released early
after receiving royal pardon.
In the case of the 28 Hongkongers, Secretary
Tang told reporters that not one of them was abducted.
However, all were forced to do illegal
work and were not allowed to leave their workplace freely.
Members of Hong Kong’s task force have
so far met with representatives of Thailand’s justice ministry, and were
assured that the government would do its utmost to help with the safe return of
the Hong Kong captives.
The task force comprises
officials from the Security Bureau, as well as police and the Immigration
Department.
Before leaving Hong Kong, Cheuk told reporters the traffickers are using new
methods to lure victims to countries where they operate, like asking people to
help bring packages to Japan or Taiwan, but then changing the destination to a
Southeast Asian country at the last minute.
The Security Bureau called on
the public to be wary of responding to online job offers which are too good to
be true, like those that offer high pay but do not require any work experience
or academic qualification.
