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Clifford Lo

Thirty-six asylum seekers were among 44 men arrested by Hong Kong police in a six-week crackdown on people illegally working as food delivery couriers using e-bicycles in the downtown areas of Kowloon.
The force said on Wednesday that the other eight, holders of Hong Kong identity cards, included seven who have accounts registered with food delivery platforms.
A source said the account holders were also suspected of selling or lending their accounts to other people not allowed to take employment in the city.
The insider said officers were searching for dozens of other account holders in connection with the case.
Police intercepted 37 men allegedly riding e-bicycles to deliver food in the Kowloon West area, including Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po, over the six-week operation, which ended on Tuesday.
The Post has learned that 36 of them came from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and had filed non-refoulement claims.
The principle of non-refoulement is that no one should be returned to a country where they could face torture, degrading treatment or inhumane punishment.

Police said the 36 asylum seekers were alleged to have used other people’s food delivery accounts to make their deliveries, and were holders of a recognisance form, a temporary identification document issued by the Immigration Department that allows the bearer to stay – but not work – in the city.
“A preliminary investigation suggested some of them had illegally worked as food delivery couriers for up to six months,” the source said.
The insider added that the couriers could earn as much as HK$10,000 (US$1,280) a month.
Police later arrested seven non-Chinese Hong Kong residents on suspicion of conspiring to defraud delivery platforms by giving their food delivery accounts to illegal workers.
“At this stage, police have not found any evidence of financial transactions [between the food delivery account holders and the illegal workers],” Chief Inspector Patrick Tse Yu-ngai of Kowloon West regional crime unit said.
But he highlighted that the account holders and some of the alleged illegal workers involved were from the same town in their countries of origin.
Tse said the operation was carried out after police discovered illegal workers might be involved in food deliveries and that they used powered transport such as e-bicycles to deliver food in the Kowloon West area.
“Some of the e-bicycle riders even ignored traffic rules, such as speeding through red lights, driving against traffic and on the pavement,” he added.
Mechanically or electrically driven machines such as e-bicycles and e-scooters are classified as motorised vehicles under Hong Kong law.
Senior Inspector Lau Ho-pong of the Kowloon West traffic unit said driving without a vehicle registration licence breached the Road Traffic Ordinance and other regulations.
Lau added the offence was punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine.
He added that people convicted of careless or dangerous driving faced a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a HK$25,000 fine.
Police arrested the 44 for a variety of offences including conspiracy to defraud, taking up employment illegally, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without a licence.
They have been released on bail and investigations continue.
Chief Inspector Ho Chun-hin of the same traffic unit said that during the operation, police contacted housing estate management offices in the area and reminded them to register information on food delivery workers and to contact police if they discovered couriers without identity cards.
Tse added that police would continue to crack down on illegal workers, as well as those who disregarded the safety of road users or committed other crimes.
The Immigration Department said there were 839 outstanding non-refoulement claims at the end of June.
These included 175 from Indonesia, 174 from Bangladesh, 170 from India, 123 from Pakistan and 74 from Vietnam.


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Thirty-six asylum seekers were among the 44 men arrested by Hong Kong police in a six-week crackdown on illegal labourers working as food delivery couriers. Photo: Handout

The 36 asylum seekers came from the countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, and had filed non-refoulement claims. Photo: Sun Yeung

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Men arrested include 36 asylum seekers from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal who have filed non-refoulement claims


Men arrested include 36 asylum seekers from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal who have filed non-refoulement claims.


Hong Kong police