Lawmaker's aloof remarks of no help to HK's scam-farm victims

Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Joephy Chan Wing-yan surprised many by deriding a former Civic Party district council member for assisting families of Hong Kong residents being held captive in Myanmar’s scam farms.

As families thanked former Yau Tsim Mong District Council vice chairman Andy Yu Tak-po for helping them secure the freedom of their beloved family members, Chan brutally accused him of trying to utilize the situation to pave the way for his return to politics in the Legislative Council election later this year.

Even if he had such a plan, it would be none of Chan’s business as it would be up to a range of rigid mechanisms to determine Yu’s election eligibility.

She is fully aware that candidates running for election not only have to obtain nominations from each of the five sectors of the Election Committee but will also be screened by the national security police and an eligibility review committee led by the chief secretary.

Candidates cannot appeal even if they disagree with the screening outcome.

Chan would be naive if she really thought Yu – a former executive committee member of the now-disbanded Civic Party – would stand any chance at all even if he did plan to contest the Legco election.

And even if he survived the screening, Chan would have to accept that Yu was a patriot just like herself. In any case, Yu has denied he has any plan to run for Legco.

As of now – and unless officials in Thailand and Myanmar are willing to talk about this openly – nobody really knows whether it was purely due to the SAR’s efforts or Yu’s assistance to the families that the Hongkongers were released by their captors.

It is strange that these scam farms at the border have been able to operate so openly and for such a long time and it seems local authorities have given up control of the area.

What has been going on in the background may be more mind-blowing than one could imagine.

Nonetheless, it is always better to have one more person offering to help than seeing one less.

After flying economy class from Beijing to Japan to join other lawmakers who had flown business class direct from Hong Kong for a business visit, Chan could learn from Yu and be more proactive in helping these suffering families.

With calls for lawmakers to take the lead to give up some of the lucrative perks to help the financial secretary pay the bills amid massive deficits, Chan’s derision of a former district council member using his own time to help the victims’ families would give these calls greater justification.

It is reassuring to know that a small team from the Security Bureau is currently in Thailand helping another Hong Kong resident to return home. Following this latest release, it is estimated that there are still 10 Hongkongers being held captive at the Thai-Myanmar border.

Can Chan help secure the freedom of these Hongkongers by criticizing someone for being willing to help?

It would be more constructive if she could also join Yu in putting greater pressure on the authorities here and in Thailand and Myanmar to help secure the release of the captives.