A Hong Konger who was lured to Southeast Asia and held captive at a "scam farm" in Myanmar since October returned to the city on Monday, as the government revealed that a security official would remain in Bangkok to continue efforts to rescue 10 other residents stranded in similar fraud centres in the region.
The 29-year-old man was taken to the airport's police station at about 12.30am on Tuesday soon after he returned to Hong Kong on a flight from Bangkok with members of a designated task force from the Security Bureau.
Assistant Secretary for Security Paddy Yuen Pak-kei thanked authorities in mainland China, Thailand and Myanmar for helping with the release of the Hong Konger.
Yuen said that with the Thai authorities' "humane" help, the time taken to send the victim home was reduced to a few days, allowing him to reunite with his family before Lunar New Year.
He said the man was very excited when they met on Monday.
"He said he hadn't used Cantonese for a long time. We [the task force] were deeply moved too because we successfully brought him back to Hong Kong safely," Yuen added.
"He also revealed he had some plans to celebrate [Lunar New Year] and asked me for some restaurant recommendations."
The victim was among the 12 Hong Kongers the bureau aimed to rescue when it sent a task force to Thailand earlier this month to discuss with the Thai authorities ways to secure their release. One other victim had since returned home.
Victims first travelled or were lured to Thailand before they ended up in scam centres.
Yuen said one security official had stayed behind in Bangkok to continue to work on the release and return of the other 10 Hong Kongers. The government could send more personnel depending on the situation.
The man in the latest case was reportedly detained at a scam farm in Myawaddy, Myanmar, since last October. He was released and arrived in Thailand on Jan 19.
Because he had overstayed in Thailand, he was temporarily held at a local detention centre.
The man was released after the Thai government "pressured" authorities in Myanmar, said Andy Yu Tak-po, a former district councillor who has been helping families of Hong Kongers tricked into forced labour in Southeast Asia.
Myanmese militia had entered the scam compound to look for the man, he added.
A media report suggested his family did not pay any ransom.
Hong Kong set up the task force in 2022 and had been in touch with Thai authorities over tackling human-trafficking activities ever since. That year, 46 Hong Kongers were trafficked to scam farms in Southeast Asia.
The bureau last year received reports of 28 cases involving Hong Kongers being detained in Southeast Asia. Among them, 17 had previously returned to Hong Kong.
