Hong Kong resident rescued after forced labour in Myanmar

2026-03-29 - 23:32

A trafficking victim from Hong Kong has been rescued from Myanmar after being detained in the country for illegal work, authorities have said. The Security Bureau said in a Saturday statement that the Hong Kong resident was rescued from Myanmar and brought to Thailand on Friday following a “joint rescue operation” with the Chinese embassies in Myanmar and Thailand, as well as Thai authorities. The rescued Hong Kong resident (fifth left) with his family in Thailand. Photo: Security Bureau. Hong Kong authorities arranged for him to meet his family in Thailand once he was in good mental and physical condition, the statement said. His rescue leaves only one more person detained in Southeast Asian countries who has called for help. Since 2024, law enforcement agencies have received 32 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents alleged to have been detained in Southeast Asia. Excluding Saturday’s case, 28 of them have returned to the city. Two others “needed no further assistance and follow up,” the statement said. Since a February 2021 military coup in Myanmar ousted the country’s democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering armed conflict with ethnic militias, human trafficking has surged, along with other forms of transnational crime. In lockstep, scam compounds have cropped up including along Myanmar’s southern border with Thailand in which trafficked foreign nationals are forced to conduct cross-border telecom fraud. The illicit compounds, many of which are run by Chinese nationals, have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. See also: New book tells ‘true stories’ of Hongkongers trafficked to Myanmar scam farms China has taken action against leading members of Myanmar-based scam syndicates after stepping up cooperation with regional governments, including by executing four leading members of a syndicate last month, and another 11 in late January. ‘Horror movie’ “The Hong Kong resident said he felt like experiencing a horror movie in the past few days and thanked the task force members for visiting Thailand to save him from detention,” the statement said, without specifying how long he had been detained in Myanmar. Hong Kong’s dedicated task force meeting with Commander of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Central Investigation Bureau of Royal Thai Police, Police Major General Vitthaya Sripasertpap (fourth right), to discuss the support for the Hong Kong resident after rescue. Photo: Security Bureau. “The dedicated task force members will make arrangements for his return to Hong Kong as soon as possible, and will continue to follow up to investigate his case after his return,” the statement read. The bureau expressed its gratitude to parties including Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, the Chinese embassies in Myanmar and Thailand, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok, and other Thai authorities for their assistance. “The dedicated task force will continue to actively follow up on the remaining request-for-assistance case and provide appropriate advice and practicable assistance to the assistance seeker and the family,” the statement said.