Spark Deep Dive: Hong Kong’s efforts to save victims of job scams in Southeast Asia

Hong Kong’s Security Bureau sent a task force to Thailand earlier this month. They met local authorities amid a resurgence in residents being lured to Southeast Asia and forced into illegal work.

The government has come under pressure to ensure the return of Hong Kong residents believed to be held captive. The calls follow the rescue of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing. He had been kidnapped along the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip led the six-member group on its trip to Thailand. He said the Thai government was very concerned.

“We have been in contact with the relevant authorities all along. Given the latest developments, we aim to communicate with them in person, understand the situation and then seek feasible ways of getting assistance from them,” he said before the task force set off.

Cheuk said the groups behind the kidnappings had changed tactics. Previously, they had promised high-paying, fake jobs. Now, they have been arranging for victims to transport goods.

“They ask you to ‘take goods’ to Taiwan, Japan or other places. But, at the last moment, they say the destination has been changed to somewhere in Southeast Asia,” he said.

Cheuk said none of the victims reported being unexpectedly abducted. They were picked up under prearranged circumstances. Before leaving Hong Kong, they had already established contact with the scammers and received electronic flight tickets.

Former district councillor Andy Yu Tak-po has helped family members of kidnapped Hongkongers. He said he had received many pleas for assistance.

One of these family members, who only identified herself as Mary, said she had only received a 30-second call since her loved one went missing for “a job” a few months ago. She hoped the task force would be able to save those being held captive.

“[I am] very emotional but truly overjoyed. We have always felt very hopeless about things, but now we can see a glimmer of hope,” she said.

Hong Kong law enforcement had received 28 requests for help from residents believed to have been trapped in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave since the second quarter of 2024, the Security Bureau said. Seventeen people had returned to the city as of January 16.

Some of the victims were held in “KK Park”, the Chinese-run scam farm in Southeast Asia that houses thousands of forced labourers.

The Hong Kong government has advised people to stay alert of job scams. It also issued a red travel alert for southeastern areas of Myanmar, warning travellers to avoid non-essential visits to the districts of Myawaddy, Hpapun, Hpa-An and Kawkareik.

Staff writers

1. Based on the news, how have scammers changed their tactics to lure Hong Kong residents into illegal work in Southeast Asia?

2. List TWO actions taken by the Hong Kong government to help residents trapped in Southeast Asia.

3. Can a Hong Kong task force in Thailand help prevent people from falling for job scams? Explain using the news, glossary and your own knowledge.

1. How does the graphic relate to the information presented in the news?

2. How severe is the current situation of job scams in Southeast Asia? Explain using the news, glossary and your own knowledge.

resurgence: an increase after a period of little activity or occurrence. For example, the Hong Kong government reported cases of job scams as far back as July 2022. However, news of victims falling prey to these scams quietened down for most of 2024. Then, in December, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed that cases were being reported again.

held captive: to keep someone prisoner or prevent them from leaving. Between 2022 and early 2023, the Hong Kong government received 46 requests for assistance from residents being held captive in Myanmar and Cambodia.

KK Park: a name for the fraud factories in Myawaddy, Myanmar, next to the Moei River on the Myanmar–Thailand border. Reports say people kept there are made to perform online scams. They are also forced to work 17-hour workdays and frequently spied on, tortured, and threatened.

1. Scam syndicates have started enticing victims by pretending to hire them to transport goods to Japan or Taiwan before saying the destination has been changed to Southeast Asia. Then, they are taken and held captive. Previously, victims were lured with promises of high-paying jobs.

2. The Hong Kong government sent a six-member task force to Thailand to meet with local authorities so they could communicate in person, understand the situation, and seek feasible ways to secure assistance. Additionally, the government issued a red travel alert for southeastern areas of Myanmar, warning residents to avoid non-essential visits to specific districts.

3. The government’s task force to rescue victims detained in scam farms in Southeast Asia could help raise awareness of these scams. Still, it remains unlikely it will lead to the immediate return of those being held captive, as there are many obstacles in the way.

The high-profile trip can remind residents to think twice before agreeing to these jobs. However, additional outreach measures are still needed, especially since scammers have recently changed their recruitment tactics. (accept all reasonable answers)

1. It shows people being locked in cages, representing the people who have fallen victim to job scams and are being held captive in Southeast Asia.

2. The situation has become severe following a sudden increase in missing persons reports in the last months of 2024, pleas for assistance by the families of victims and the recent rescue of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing, who fell prey to a human trafficking network.

Between 2022 and early 2023, the government received 46 requests for assistance from Hongkongers trapped in compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia. From the second quarter of 2024 to January 14, Hong Kong law enforcement received 28 requests for help from residents believed to have been trapped in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave, according to the Security Bureau.