First success in mission bringing captive Hongkonger home

One of the 12 Hongkongers lured to Southeast Asia and detained for illegal work has been released and returned to Hong Kong on Thursday.

This comes three months after the 25-year-old man was lured by a HK$120,000 job posting online and was trafficked to Myanmar via Thailand to engage in online scams.

He flew back to Hong Kong via Thailand on Thursday.

Police said they received a report from the man's mother on October 13, after she heard that his son was being trapped in a fraud park in Myanmar and was asked for US$30,000 ransom.

The man was lured to Thailand in early October last year, by an online job posting claiming to offer HK$120,000 for delivering diamonds from Bangkok to Taiwan. He thus took a flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok in the early hours of October 13.

He realized he might fall victim when the car reached the border with Myanmar. Despite attempting to escape, the man was gradually brought to a hillside fraud park in Myanmar and was forced to engage in online scams.

It was learned that the man, and the two female victims who returned to Hong Kong from Myanmar last Saturday, were released upon their families paying the ransom. However, the police declined to comment on the ransom amount paid.

Separately, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung met with the Consulate-General of Thailand in Hong Kong on Thursday to express gratitude for their assistance over the incident.

He emphasized his team's commitment to ensuring the safe return of every Hong Kong resident involved.

(Updated at 8.58 pm)
(Eunice Lam and Cherry Fung)