Hong Kong, Thai officials in talks to combat Southeast Asian scam centres

15/1/2025 15:08

Hong Kong officials held rare talks in Bangkok this week with Thai counterparts to find ways to bring home those lured from the Asian financial hub and trapped in illegal work in Southeast Asia, seeking to combat a growing trend.



Tuesday's talks follow last week's high-profile case of a Chinese actor believed to have been a victim of human trafficking, who went missing after travelling to Thailand, but was later tracked to Myanmar and rescued.



The United Nations says border towns in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar have become regional hubs for telecom and other online fraud, with hundreds of thousands trafficked to work in scam centres there.



The city's government said on Sunday, "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."



It added in a statement, such signs have grown since the second quarter of 2024.



The government said in a subsequent statement, a team led by Hong Kong security official Michael Cheuk met Thai police and government officials on Tuesday to help assist with the safe return of Hong Kong residents as soon as possible.



It said, of 28 requests for help from authorities, 16 of the individuals involved had returned home, while the remaining 12 had "reported restrictions on their movement."