Alleged sex fiend ‘stole jewelry, cash’ from 2 latest victims

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Mr Hang Hau's photo posted on FB, along with a warning to women to avoid him

Two new alleged victims of “Mr Hang Hau,” a man in Tseung Kwan O who reportedly lures mostly Filipina helpers with a job offer to take them to bed by force or persuasion, came out last week, with one saying he also stole her jewelry and cash.

The victims reported their encounters with the alleged predator to Rodelia P. Villar, founder of the Facebook group Domestic Workers Corner, who has been helping women conned by the suspect bring their cases to the attention of the authorities.

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DWC has also endorsed women who claim to have been left pregnant by Mr Hang Hau to non-governmental organization PathFinders Limited for assistance.

Villar said the two latest victims were snared by the predator in November, before his exploits and photo were published by The SUN Hong Kong to warn migrant women workers about him.

In his latest capers, the man reportedly introduced himself as Martin to Filipina helper he approached mostly at Hang Hau MTR Station and in other train stations, podiums and parks in Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon.

The other names he uses are Gordon, Mr Poon, Yara, Kenny, or Achilles. Some women who he tried to bamboozle simply call him “Doraemon.”

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“November victims sila. Saka lang nila nalaman nang na-post ng The SUN. Nanakawan ng alahas at pera yung isa,” Villar said. (They were victimized in November. They just realized this when The SUN posted about the man. One of them lost money and jewelry to the man).

Villar said the two women had yet to complain to the police.

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She did not disclose how the two were lured by the man to his flat in Oscar By the Sea, a relatively new development between Tseung Kwan O and Hang Hau.

But victims and would-be victims of the scammer said his modus operandi was the same.

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He approaches the helpers, pretending to be looking for a jobseeker who might be interested to work for him, and offers an above-minimum salary of $5,500.

Once he finds a taker, he would allegedly ask the woman to go with him to his flat for an “interview”, then sweet-talks them into going to bed with him, or forces them if the victims don’t cooperate.

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Villar said just two weeks ago, nine victims who the man got pregnant surfaced and sought DWC’s help in pursuing him for support, or at least to acknowledge paternity.

PathFinder's Gurtin says it's difficult to establish paternity in the cases

PathFinders is helping the women on this aspect, although its chief executive, Catherine Gurtin, has said the predator is hard to pin down over the issue of alimony if he doesn’t acknowledge the child is his, or if he doesn’t come out at all, as is the case at present.

When contacted about the man’s forages, Hong Kong police said the alleged victims should file formal complaints detailing how they were deceived by the suspect so that they can take action. They said they view such activity as “very serious allegations”.

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The police also advised women not to go the man’s house, and if they are in an emergency situation, to call 999 for help.

The same advice was given by the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section. Consul Paulo Saret, ATN head, the Filipina workers should be wary if a stranger invites them to his flat, as anything can happen.

Even if they were raped, it would be hard to prove the offense because of a lack of witness. He said the best thing to do is not to go alone to a stranger’s house, even if it’s for a supposed job interview.

Mr Hang Hau’s alleged latest victims emerged just as two other Filipinas who claimed they were impregnated by another local man, a Mr Tsang, also shared with DWC their experiences now that they have lost contact with the lover they met on a dating site.

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Filcom leader blasts at legislator for urging weekend ban on FDW gatherings

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The legislator was particularly irked by the large Christmas-day crowd in Tamar

An outspoken leader of the Filipino migrant community has lashed out at a proposal by a legislative councilor to stop foreign domestic workers from gathering on weekends, and punish those who violate such a prohibition.

Dolores Balladares-Pelaez called the proposal “outrageous” and blatantly discriminatory.

“Again, migrants are not virus carriers at hindi totoing hindi kami nag so social distancing. Matao ang lugar, yes, but aware ang mga migrants sa social distancing,” she said.

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(Again, migrants are not virus carriers and it’s not true that we don’t practice social distancing. The place is packed, yes, but migrants are aware about social distancing).

The ban was proposed by legislator Elizabeth Quat from the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who complained that the gathering of FDWs has gotten out of hand, and has increased the risk that they would bring the virus back to their employers’ homes.

Quat also criticized the government for allegedly failing to put a stop to the practice, and said she had contacted the Food and Health, Labour and Welfare bureaus to request that they immediately act on her proposal to impose a weekend gathering ban on FDWs.

But large crowds also gathered in malls and other public places

At the same time, she said the government should contact the Philippine and Indonesian consulates to ask that they strengthen their information campaign to get their nationals to take health precautions and avoid large gatherings.  

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She complained that not only do FDWs gather in large numbers on weekends, they also bring suitcases so they could pack boxes in public with goods that they send back home.

The DAB legislator also found it objectionable that the helpers occupy flyovers and streets, and have taken to setting up tents in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and Tamar Park in Admiralty.

Her objections appear to stem from a recent Covid-19 outbreak in a boarding house in Tai Po, where FDWs stayed in-between jobs, or during their rest days. A total of 12 cases were reported, including four family members of an employer.

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But at the same time, a cluster involving more than 700 people, all locals, occurred among those who visited dance clubs, and their close contacts. The infections linked to this cluster continue to this day.

Balladares-Pelaez finds the blame shift on migrants unfair.

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“Bakit ba laging pinag-iinitan ang migrants?,” she rued. “Linggo-linggo may mga pulis na umiikot sa Chater Road, overkill na nga,” she said. (Why are migrants always being targeted? Every Sunday there are police officers going around Chater Road, it’s almost an overkill).

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Police officers are a visible presence in Central on Sundays

“Wala na ngang pahinga sa trabaho ang mga migrante, i-ban pa ang day off nila. Anti-worker yang mga legislative councilor na yan.” (Migrants are already overworked, why deprive them of their only day off in the week. That legislative councilor is anti-worker).

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Covid-19 superspreader found in hospital cluster

By The SUN

Dr Yuen says the superspreader infected 10 fellow patients and 4 medical staff 

Hong Kong health officials have revealed that an 84-year-old female patient at United Christian Hospital was a superspreader who could have infected 14 other people, including four medical staff.

The information was first disclosed today, Dec 26, by Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist and physician from the University of Hong Kong, after he inspected the hospital.

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It was confirmed at a subsequent press briefing on the latest Covid-19 situation by Dr Lau Ka-hin, chief manager of the Hospital Authority, during which it was revealed 59 new infections were recorded as of midnight last night.

According to Yuen, seven more female patients at UCH have tested preliminary positive, along with four medical staff. Three who were previously classified as preliminary cases had just been confirmed.

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Apart from these cases, Yuen said that there were signs of an outbreak in the community where the apparent superspreader lives.

Tests at the hospital showed that the patient’s CT value was very low, only 17 to 18, indicating a high viral load, which also meant she was very contagious.

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But since she mostly stayed in the hospital’s palliative care ward, where most patients have poor immunity because of their age or critical medical condition, the virus spread easily.

Yuen said the index patient was admitted to the hospital on Dec 15, and was put in intensive care because of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which occurs when the body starts breaking down fat.

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After she tested negative for Covid-19, she was moved to the palliative ward because of bed shortage. However, a further test showed she was infected.

Yuen described it as a “most unfortunate” super spreading event, which could have been partially transmitted through the air in the palliative ward.

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Among those believed to have caught the virus from the elderly woman was a nurse who did not wear protective goggles when she helped the patient clean her mouth.

But according to the expert, the outbreak was also partly caused by the serious epidemic situation in East Kowloon, especially in Kwun Tong District, which caused great pressure on community hospitals. The transfer of the patient from one ward to another because of a shortage of beds had caused the virus to spread further.

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Dr Au says the coronavirus variant was found in a third new arrival from Britain

Meanwhile, Dr Albert Au from the Centre for Health Protection revealed that the highly contagious coronavirus strain was found in a third infected patient who recently arrived from Britain.

The 18-year-old female patient arrived on Dec 13 via Virgin Airlines flight VS206, and developed symptoms a week later while in quarantine at Kowloon Metropark Hotel. She tested positive for the coronavirus on Dec 23 and is now in stable condition.

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Two other teenagers, both males, were earlier found to carry the coronavirus variant. One had already been discharged from the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo when he was found to have the strain that prompted Hong Kong to ban all flights from Britain last week.

Dr Au said that of the of today’s 59 new cases, 53 were locally acquired, and six were imported, including three new arrivals from Britain, aged 22, 41, and 48.

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Records from CHP later showed that the new imported cases also included a 36-year-old woman who arrived from the Philippines, and tested positive while in quarantine at Metropark Hotel in Mongkok.

Another was a 7-year-old girl who flew in from Indonesia, and a 33-year-old man who arrived from United Arab Emirates.

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Of the 53 local cases, 26 did not have no known sources. More than 50 preliminary cases were also recorded.

Hong Kong now has a total of 8,541 coronavirus cases. As of 9am today, 921 patients are being treated in 23 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AWE. Among them, 55 are in critical condition, 65 are in serious condition, and 801 are in stable condition. 

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HK orders 21-day hotel quarantine for all new arrivals, bans travelers from S Africa

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Christmas Day came with bad news for all travelers arriving in Hong Kong from abroad. Everyone must now spend 21 days in hotel quarantine, instead of just 14.

The move was gazette by the government late on Dec 24, and took effect from the first hours of today, Christmas Day.

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The government also banned people who had stayed in South Africa for more than two hours on the day of boarding, or 21 days before, from entering Hong Kong.

This was after a new, more infectious mutation of the coronavirus similar to the one found in Britain earlier, was discovered in South Africa.

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All flights from Britain were earlier barred from entering Hong Kong, while passengers who were able to enter the city between Dec 2 and 23 became the first to be told to spend 21 days in hotel quarantine.

In addition, all passengers who arrived in Hong Kong between Dec 2 and 24, must undergo a third Covid-19 test on the 19^th or 20^th day of their arrival, and should remain in isolation until the test result is known.

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The government said in a press release that while the World Health Organization has said that the incubation period of the coronavirus is 14 days, there is currently no evidence to show how long patients infected by the new variant will remain infectious.

But since experts believe that there is a small number of patients whose incubation period is longer than 14 days, and since more and more mutations of the virus are being discovered all over the world, the government felt it necessary to strengthen border control further.

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This is meant “to ensure that no case would slip through the net even under very exceptional cases where the incubation period of the virus is longer than 14 days,” said the statement.

Chuang and Lau reporting on the latest Covid-19 situation

Earlier, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said that the government was seeking more information from the WHO about the South African variant which is believed to be more transmissible, especially among younger people.

But she noted that Hong Kong has not had any imported cases from South Africa lately.

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She made the statement during the daily press briefing on the Covid-19 situation, during which she reported 71 new infections. Sixty-one of these were locally acquired, with 30 from an unknown source.

The 10 imported cases included three young returnees from Britain who all tested positive while in quarantine. The patients, who were all asymptomatic, are aged 14 (M), 16 (F) and 18 (M).

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The others are two returnees from the United States, aged 25 (F) and 80 (M), a 38-year-old woman from Indonesia, a 19-year-old female from Turkey, a 30-year-old male from Pakistan, and a 36-year-old man from Serbia.

Three more confirmed patients passed away over the past 24 hours; a 77-year-old man, 92-year-old man, and a 86-year-old woman. They brought the death toll in public hospitals to 131.

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Of the 985 patients still being treated in 23 public hospitals and the community facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, 61 are in critical condition, 61 are seriously ill, and 863 are stable.

Chuang advised people to remain vigilant and not take part in social activities over the Christmas holidays, as infections had already been detected from family gatherings during the winter solstice earlier this week.

“We found many cases because of gatherings on the 20^th and 21^st,” she said.

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Because of the celebrations we found quite a number of cases in family clusters. So try to avoid large gatherings as much as possible to prevent cases in the coming days,” she said.

Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority said compassionate visits by family members to elderly patients may have to be curbed after a convalescent 95-year-old man who had previously been hospitalized, tested preliminary positive for the virus in Buddhist Hospital.

The patient was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Dec 9 and tested negative. He was  transferred to Buddhist Hospital on Dec 13 where he developed a fever, and tested positive in a test.

Three patients receiving palliative care at United Christian Hospital also tested preliminary positive. Again, the source of infection is believed to have come from outside, likely by family members who were allowed to visit and check on the patient’s condition.

Lau said hospitals will now be very strict with compassionate visits. Only family members will be allowed to visit a patient, and this should be for no more than 30 minutes. Relatives should also refrain from feeding the patient. 

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