Hong Kong's Security Bureau has sent a task force to Thailand to follow up on cases involving residents being lured and trapped in Southeast Asian countries to engage in illegal work.
The incident of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was recently held captive in Myanmar after travelling to Thailand, raised alarm among Hong Kong residents.
The Security Bureau on Sunday said law enforcement had received a total of 28 requests for help involving Hong Kong residents in Southeast Asian countries claiming to be trapped and unable to leave since the second quarter in 2024. Sixteen individuals had been returned to the city so far.
In the remaining 12 cases, individuals had reported restrictions on their freedom of movement but remained safe and able to communicate with their families or the task force.
The task force was sent to Thailand on Sunday night, the South China Morning Post reported.
Wang, also known as Xingxing, went missing after arriving in Thailand on Jan 3, and was suspected to have been lured under false pretenses by a fake casting agent for a filming job.
Thai authorities later rescued him from a fraudulent online scam operation in Myawaddy, a Myanmese city bordering Mae Sot district in Tak province. They confirmed he was a victim of human trafficking and returned him to mainland China last Friday.
Subsequently, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan Yik-shun cancelled his concert in Bangkok on Feb 22, with his management citing the decision was made "in light of recent safety issues concerning Chinese citizens and fans travelling to Thailand".