Security Bureau: A detained Myanmar Hong Kong resident has been rescued

A Hong Kong resident who was imprisoned in Myanmar for illegal work has been rescued and was sent back to Thailand yesterday, where arrangements were made for him to reunite with his family.

The Security Bureau stated that a dedicated team earlier received a request for help from a Hong Kong resident who was imprisoned for illegal work in Myanmar. The bureau immediately contacted the Commissioner’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok, and relevant Thai authorities, swiftly launching a joint rescue operation.

The Security Bureau’s Principal Security Affairs Officer, Chan Hin-Kwun, also immediately led members of the dedicated team from the Security Bureau, Hong Kong Police Force, and Immigration Department to Thailand yesterday (27th) to follow up on the incident.

After the Hong Kong resident was rescued and found to be in good mental and physical condition, the dedicated team arranged for him to reunite with his family in the area. The resident expressed that the past few days felt “like experiencing a horror movie,” thanking the team members for personally going to Thailand to rescue him; his family was also delighted to be reunited, describing it as a valuable lesson for the family and praising the swift and effective rescue operation. The dedicated team members will arrange for the Hong Kong resident to return home as soon as possible and will continue to follow up on his case after his return.

During their time in Thailand, the dedicated team met with Vitthaya Sripasertpap, the commander of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division of the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police, to discuss support arrangements following the rescue of the Hong Kong resident, and they also met with personnel from the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand to thank the embassy for its continued follow-up on the incident and for providing appropriate and feasible assistance to the resident and his family. In addition, the dedicated team held a working meeting with personnel from the Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok to understand the latest situation in the area.

Since 2024, law enforcement has received 32 cases involving Hong Kong residents claiming to be imprisoned and unable to leave in Southeast Asian countries. Apart from the aforementioned case, 28 people have returned to Hong Kong, and two do not require further assistance and follow-up. For the remaining case involving a request for assistance in Myanmar, the dedicated team will continue to work diligently to provide appropriate advice and feasible assistance to the resident and his family.