Hong Kong has dispatched a task force to Thailand to follow up on reports of its residents being trafficked into forced labour in Southeast Asian nations, including Thailand.
The Security Bureau (SB) task force is set to meet with officials from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and Thai authorities, including those from the Justice Ministry, to request the fullest cooperation, Hong Kong Free Press reported yesterday.
Since the middle of last year, Hong Kong authorities have received 28 requests for assistance, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Of these cases, 16 individuals have returned to Hong Kong, while the remaining 12 reported restrictions on their movement but that they were still safe and able to contact their families and the task force.
SB officials accompanied members of the task force, which includes representatives from the Hong Kong Police Force and the Immigration Department, to Thailand yesterday to follow up on the cases, the statement said.
A family member of a trafficking victim, identifying himself only as ‘Kelvin’, who was allegedly forced to work on a farm in Myanmar, welcomed the initiative and expressed gratitude to the authorities.
Following the rescue of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known as ‘Xingxing’, after he was reported to have gone missing near the Myanmar border, Kelvin last week a petition to the Thai consulate in Hong Kong.
For some families, Wang’s case demonstrated that Chinese authorities are able to expedite enforcement action and assist victims to return home.
‘Mary’, another family member of a trafficking victim wept, saying “I hope the Thai government, the Hong Kong government and the central authorities can help us - the humble and the weak.”
Meanwhile Andy Yu, a former district councillor who has been assisting families, has called for the Hong Kong government to provide more transparency, particularly relating to how the 16 returnees regained their freedom and whether it was through ransom payments or diplomatic channels.
“We would welcome the government sharing such information, because it could help us to analyse how to save the others,” Yu said.
