Recently, some Hong Kong citizens suspected of being lured to Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, detained and forced to engage in illegal work, needed to pay a high ransom to escape, and even some were severely beaten. Hong Kong Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said on August 20 that law enforcement has received 28 cases of help, and half of them have ensured safety and will do their best to rescue people in Hong Kong. Chinese embassies and consulates in relevant countries are also maintaining close communication with the governments of the host countries and actively locating and rescuing relevant personnel.
Lured to Southeast Asia with high salaries, he was extorted and beaten if he did not engage in fraud
When Mr. Kwong, who was rescued and returned to Hong Kong, recalled to the media his tragic experience of being "selling piglets", he shouted: "It is simply purgatory on earth!" Thanks to the Hong Kong police, the Immigration Department and the Chinese Embassy in the local area, they tried to rescue me, otherwise the scum would be gone. ”
Earlier, Mr. Kwong had seen a job advertisement on social platforms where his employer claimed to be hiring a dealer for a casino in Cambodia with a monthly salary of HK$200,000. Because the income is very large, the other party also promised to cover air tickets and hotel accommodation costs, Mr. Kwong thought that he was a "beautiful bad", so he contacted his employer through social platforms.
However, after Mr. Kwong arrived in the local area by plane, he was coerced into handing over his passport by a group of big men, who also forced him to engage in telecommunications fraud and impersonated women to deceive more "piglets" on the Internet. If Mr. Kwong does not comply, the other party will have to hand over a ransom of $10,000 from his family, otherwise Mr. Kwong will be severely beaten.
Since the scam requires the use of telephones, Mr. Kwong took advantage of the fact that the fraud group did not pay attention and called his family in Hong Kong for help. Mr. Kwong's family immediately turned to the Hong Kong police for help. The Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Immigration Department contacted Interpol, the Chinese Embassy in Hong Kong and other departments respectively, and after all parties worked hard to mediate, Mr. Kwong, who was detained for two months, finally returned to Hong Kong safely.
Officials actively rescued 10 people, and 10 people have returned to Hong Kong safely
After receiving requests for help from the public, the Security Bureau of the HKSAR Government attached great importance to the incident and set up a special task force to follow up and issued a yellow travel warning to relevant Southeast Asian countries.
On August 20, Tang said that law enforcement has received 28 cases of help, of which 14 have confirmed safety, 10 have returned to Hong Kong, and it is believed that 10 are in Myanmar and 4 are in Cambodia. On the one hand, the Security Bureau will conduct relevant investigations in Hong Kong, and on the other hand, it will contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hong Kong Office, Interpol and local authorities in an all-round way to rescue the victims.
The Hong Kong SAR government posted an article on the social page "Tamartai" on the 19th, calling on the public not to trust online job advertisements or messages, especially jobs that claim to be able to "make quick money" and do not require academic qualifications or work experience, but are exceptionally well paid. From the 18th, the Hong Kong Immigration Department and the Hong Kong Police Force also distributed leaflets at the boarding counters at the airport to the relevant Southeast Asian regions, reminding departing passengers to be careful about job recruitment and pay attention to the safety of travel.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on the 18th that Chinese embassies and consulates in relevant countries are maintaining close communication with the governments of the host countries and actively finding and rescuing relevant personnel. At the same time, Chinese citizens are reminded to be vigilant against false recruitment information on overseas networks, strictly abide by discipline and law, ensure personal safety, and timely report information related to fraud and gambling. In case of emergency, please report to the local police in time and contact the Chinese embassy or consulate in your local area.
[Trainee reporter] Wu Binbin
[Reporter] Chen Yu
【Author】 Chen Yu; Wu Binbin
Hong Kong today