Beijing ‘actively searching’ for missing Hong Kong residents held captive in Southeast Asia
- Police say 12 Hong Kong residents had been detained against their will and at least two held for ransom so far this year after they fell for love and employment scams
- Local office of foreign affairs ministry in contact with Immigration Department and embassies ‘in actively searching for the whereabouts of the missing persons’
A total of 12 Hongkongers had been detained against their will and at least two of them held for ransom so far this year after they were conned into flying to Southeast Asian countries in employment fraud and internet love scams, an emerging crime trend that has sparked a pledge from the central government to protect the city’s residents overseas.
A source on Wednesday said one family was forced to pay a large ransom to secure the release of a man lured to Thailand to meet his online “girlfriend”.
“He was released and returned to Hong Kong earlier this month after a ransom involving tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars was paid,” the source said.
The 28-year-old was abducted in Thailand in mid-July and held in Myanmar until the ransom was handed over.
The news came as the Immigration Department said it had received 17 requests for help since January from families of Hong Kong residents feared to have gone missing in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Department officials said 12 of the 17 Hongkongers had safely left the countries involved and they promised to work with the city’s police, the Office of the Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad to help trace and return the five people still not accounted for.
It is not clear if the 12 cases revealed by police were among the 17 mentioned by the department.
