23 HKers fall victim to forced labor in Southeast Asia as of Nov this year

The number of Hong Kong people who have fallen victim to forced labor in Southeast Asia has increased since the second quarter of this year, said Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung.

Authorities have received 23 cases of requests for help as of November 25, in which 11 individuals have returned to the city while the remaining 12 are safe and able to contact authorities despite restricted freedom.

The Immigration Department is following up on the cases through the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry and the China Embassy in the related countries, while the task force of the Security Bureau will coordinate the work, Tang said. 

He noted that the authorities have looked into each case, noting some individuals were released after paying ransom. 

Tang emphasized that all travelers acted voluntarily or were deceived, and no one was kidnapped while traveling, in response to lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king’s concerns about whether the government obtained information from those who successfully returned.

Lawmaker Chow Man-kong suggested that the government do more online patrols to deter more citizens from being deceived into working in Southeast Asia.

Tang affirmed that the government will improve public education and launch awareness campaigns. He also highlighted the ongoing intelligence efforts, which include online monitoring and collaboration on an international scale.