A senator has suggested that a visit by Hong Kong safety officials to Thailand can serve as a new notice to residents who are prone to high-paying employment scams. However, it is unlikely to result in the immediate return of those who are lured to operate in Southeast Asia, according to a lawmaker.
Following a sudden rise in missing persons reports over the past month, requests for assistance from victims ‘ families, and the recent rescue of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing, who fell prey to a human trafficking network, security legislator Gary Chan Hak-kan argued the government had dispatched the task force.
The work army, led by Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip, left for Bangkok on Sunday nights. Its users plan to meet with representatives from the local government of justice’s anti-human trafficking committee and Thai authorities and the Chinese consulate it.
People “let their troops over” toward like high-paying jobs, Chan, a board member who helped subjects in 2022, said on Sunday, “perhaps after the initial information about such instances died down two years ago.”
” The government’s high-profile trip can assist with the existing cases while even reiterating that people should consider these issues before accepting these positions,” the government said.
He stated that he anticipated a close collaboration between the Security Bureau’s work force and the Chinese consulate in Bangkok.
The work force made up of soldiers from the Immigration Department, officers, and ministry staff can assist in cooperation and communication because” the ETO alone may not have enough political energy, labor, or security experience to manage these cases,” he said.
Another lawmaker and former safety minister, Lai Tung-kok, claimed that the bureau had taken the appropriate course of action and that the authorities may continue to strengthen their efforts to combat smear campaigns to stop more Hongkongers from becoming victims of syndicates.
” The]visit ] is not just a gesture, as shown by the high-level government working group that was sent”, said Lai.
He added that Thai officials now felt a strong need for the solution and that they were confident in their ability to deal with it. He had faith in seeing good outcomes.
The authorities received 46 requests for assistance from Residents who were incarcerated in buildings in Myanmar and Cambodia between 2022 and 2023.
The subjects reportedly received offers for high-paying work and lodging in the Southeast Asian nations.
Their documents were reportedly confiscated upon arrival, and they were then sold to various cartels and forced to work in locations where phone or online scams were being run.
Patients were kept safe by people carrying guns and electrical prods, but they were unable to flee.
Of the 46 patients, 43 had made it back to Hong Kong properly. After being saved, the three other people turned down additional help.
He claimed that thieves used more sophisticated methods to entice people to Southeast Asian nations as Cheuk departed Hong Kong for Bangkok on Sunday during a pre-trip presentation.
” They asked people to ‘ get products’ to Taiwan, Japan or abroad. However, he claimed at the last minute, they had informed them that East Asian places had been changed.
He added that none of the survivors claimed they had been picked up under prearranged situations but were not abducted while they were traveling.
Cheuk added that while the syndicates in 2022 primarily focused on the Myanmar border with Laos, they nonetheless operated in northeastern Thailand, which borders Myanmar.
I want to caution Hong Kongers against traveling near Thai, Myannar, or Lao edges because I believe the cartels are operating in turbulent locations.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed in early December that 23 Hong Kongers had reported being confined to these South Asian materials in 2024.
The number increased to 28 by Sunday, with 12 also missing.
The victims claimed to remain healthy and able to communicate with their people and the work force in some of the remaining 12 cases, which ranged from 21 to 43, and engaged reports of restrictions on freedom of action.