The Security Bureau says that it has always attached great importance to cases where Hong Kong residents are suspected of being lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work and established a dedicated task force to co-ordinate follow-up action by the relevant law enforcement agencies in August 2022.

Since the second quarter of 2024, there have been signs of a resurgence in the situation where Hong Kong residents are suspected of being lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work. To date, law enforcement agencies have received a total of 28 requests for assistance in relation to Hong Kong residents alleging to be detained in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave. Among them, 16 have already returned to Hong Kong. The remaining 12 cases reported restrictions on their movement but were still safe and able to contact their families or the task force.

While in Thailand, members of the task force will meet with officials from the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Thailand sitting on the Anti Trafficking-in-Persons Committee chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand, as well as the authorities of Thailand to reflect the relevant assistance cases, exchange intelligence and request the relevant authorities to assist as much as they can in the rescue of those assistance seekers.

This is a far less forceful approach than that taken by some countries including China which have worked on co-ordinated raids on compounds and actively taken part in the physical rescue of such workers.

The diplomatic approach is not massively diplomatic in its language: " With regard to Hong Kong residents suspected of being lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work, the Under Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk, today (January 13) led members of the dedicated task force from the Hong Kong Police Force and the Immigration Department (ImmD) to begin their itinerary in Thailand to meet with different parties and further follow up on relevant cases.

" In the morning, Mr Cheuk and the dedicated task force were received by the Minister of Justice (MoJ) of Thailand, Mr Tawee Sodsong, who is a member of the Anti Trafficking-in-Persons Committee chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand, and the heads of the enforcement departments under the MoJ, including the department dedicated to combating human trafficking activities. During the meeting, Mr Cheuk presented the situation regarding relevant request-for-assistance cases and received positive feedback. Both sides also exchanged intelligence. Mr Sodsong expressed that the Thai authorities attached great importance to the situation and will spare no effort in assisting with the safe return of Hong Kong assistance seekers as soon as possible."

Members of the dedicated task force called on the Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, Mr Wu Zhiwu. Mr Cheuk thanked the Minister and staff of the Embassy for their deep concern over the cases by continuing to follow up and provide appropriate and practicable assistance, as well as their strong support to the work of the ImmD all along.