26 stuck in Southeast Asia for forced labour seek Hong Kong government help

Twenty-six Hongkongers sought help from the government after being forcibly detained in Southeast Asian countries and half of them were still there, authorities revealed on Wednesday, as the families of some victims urged the administration to ask Beijing for assistance to speed up rescue efforts.

The Security Bureau said it had logged 26 cases involving residents who had reported that they had been detained and were unable to leave Southeast Asian countries, as of December 31.

Thirteen have returned to Hong Kong. The remaining 13 were said to have had their personal freedom restricted but were safe and managed to communicate with their families and a government task force set up to handle such cases in 2022.

The bureau said the Immigration Department had closely followed the cases with help from authorities such as the Chinese embassies in the relevant countries and had offered assistance to families involved.

The government’s update on its rescue efforts came as a petition for help was submitted to the Thai consulate in Hong Kong by a man who said a member of his family had “reluctantly” been sent to Myanmar after landing in Thailand five months ago.

The man, who asked to be identified as Kelvin only to protect his family member, pointed to the case of actor Wang Xing who went missing at the weekend and was found by Thai and mainland Chinese authorities