英文

Editorial : Strengthen Regional Cooperation to Fight Telecom Scam Abductions

【明報專訊】ONE MORE Hong Kong resident suspected of being lured to Southeast Asia and detained to engage in illegal work returned to Hong Kong yesterday (16 January) after his family had paid a ransom. However, a considerable number of Hongkongers are still held captive.

Southeast Asia is one of the regions where fraud gangs are most active in. There are often reports about people from the mainland or Taiwan being lured into imprisonment there, where they are tortured and forced to commit telecom scams. The recent case of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing being lured [and abducted] to a telecom scam farm in Myanmar via Thailand has again raised wide concern about the problem.

According to government figures, law enforcement agencies have received a total of 28 requests for assistance involving Hong Kong residents detained in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave since the second quarter of last year. Earlier this month, the SAR government sent a dedicated task force to Thailand to follow up, meeting with the Thai Minister of Justice, among others. A few days ago, two female victims regained freedom and made it back to Hong Kong after ransom payment by their families. Another man, who had been detained for several months, also returned to Hong Kong safely yesterday. In the light of successive abductions of Hongkongers to Southeast Asia, the possibility of collusion between criminal groups in Hong Kong and fraud syndicates there should not be ruled out. The police must look into this deeply.

Often, victims of these transnational human trafficking cases are duped by "offers of lucrative jobs and free travel". Upon arrival in Thailand, they are quickly trafficked to scam farms in Myanmar, an adjacent country, and confined there. As the scam farms are heavily guarded by armed personnel, the victims have no way to escape. Facing threats of violent torture, they can only either submit to the gangs' command and commit telecom scams or wait for ransom payments from their families.

The SAR government has the responsibility to enhance public education, reminding people not to be tempted by quick money and to exercise a high degree of caution regarding overseas recruitment. At this moment, more than 10 Hong Kong residents are still held captive at scam farms in Southeast Asia. The SAR government must keep in close contact with the high officials of those governments to help the victims get back to Hong Kong safely as early as possible.

The telecom fraud syndicates are so rampant that they have become a regional threat. In Myanmar, political instability has given rise to numerous warlords who, entrenched in the border areas, are unchecked by the central government. For these local militias, the easiest way of "earning money" is to engage directly in illegal trade or shelter them. The Myawaddy scam farm in Kayin, a southeastern state of Myanmar, near the border with Thailand, has emerged as a new hub of telecom fraud crime. Wang Xing and others were imprisoned there.

Although the Thai authorities had tried to cut power and internet service supply to Myawaddy, the short-term measures failed to produce significant results. The gangsters had also purchased electric generators themselves to meet contingency needs. Furthermore, the weak border patrol between Thailand and Myanmar means it is not difficult to traffic people to the scam farm. All these underline the fact that in order to combat telecom fraud syndicates, China and ASEAN countries must strengthen their cooperation and try all means to help Myanmar restore stability.

Hong Kong currently has no laws specifically tackling human trafficking. The SAR government has repeatedly stressed that law enforcement agencies may cite different laws to handle each time based on the case and evidence. Nevertheless, some argue that there are limitations in invoking separate ordinances and that the authorities should formulate dedicated legislation to deal with the issue. Given the repeated cases of Hongkongers falling victim to human trafficking activities related to transnational telecom scams, the authorities ought to consider strengthening their legal tools to tackle such crimes.

明報社評2025.01.17:營救電騙禁錮受害人 加強區域合作滅公害

港人疑被誘騙到東南亞禁錮從事非法工作,昨天再有一人在家屬支付贖金後返港,然而多名港人尚未重獲自由。

東南亞是其中一個詐騙集團最活躍的地區,不時都有關於兩岸民眾被誘騙到當地禁錮虐待、被迫從事電騙活動的消息。內地演員王星早前被誘騙經泰國到了緬甸電騙園區,令問題再受廣泛關注。

根據政府數字,去年第二季起,執法部門合共接獲28宗涉及港人在東南亞被禁錮無法離開的求助個案。特區政府本月曾派專責組到泰國跟進,與當地司法部長等官員會晤。近日,兩名受害女子在家屬支付贖金後,終重獲自由返港,另一名被困數月的男子,亦於昨天安全回港。港人接二連三被誘騙到東南亞,不排除本地有犯罪集團與當地詐騙團伙有勾連,警方必須深入調查。

這些跨境販賣人口個案,受害人通常都是被人以「優厚工作報酬及提供免費旅遊」所騙,抵達泰國後旋即被人送到毗鄰緬甸的詐騙園區禁錮,由於園區守衛森嚴,更有武裝人員把守,受害人無從逃走,面對暴力虐待威脅,要麼聽從犯罪集團指示,從事電騙活動,要麼只能等待家人支付贖金。

特區政府有責任加強公眾宣傳,提醒市民便宜莫貪,對境外招聘要高度警惕。目前仍有逾10名港人被禁錮在東南亞詐騙園區,特區政府必須加緊與當地政府高層接觸,協助受害港人早日安全返港。

電騙犯罪集團猖獗,已成為區域公害。緬甸政局不穩定,邊境地區軍閥林立,不受中央政府約束。各地方武裝最容易的「搵錢」方法,就是直接從事或庇護非法產業。緬甸東南部克倫邦的妙瓦底詐騙園區位於泰緬邊境,成為了新的電騙犯罪中心,王星等人便是禁錮於當地園區。

泰國當局過去雖曾試過切斷妙瓦底的電力和網絡供應,但措施短暫成效不大,犯罪集團也會自行購買發電機以備不時之需。另外,泰緬邊境邊防不嚴,販賣人口到詐騙園,亦無多少難度。凡此種種,都說明若要打擊電騙犯罪集團,中國與東盟各國必須加強合作,同時亦須設法協助緬甸局勢回復穩定。

香港目前沒有專門針對販運人口的法例,特區政府一直強調執法機構可因應個別案件情况和證據,引用不同法例處理,但亦有意見認為,用分散的多條法例應對有其局限,當局應制定專門法例應對。跨國電騙相關的販運人口活動一再有港人受害,當局應考慮強化現有法律工具,應付相關罪行。

■ Glossary 生字 /

abduction : the act of taking sb away illegally, especially using force

collusion : secret agreement especially in order to do sth dishonest or to trick people

unchecked : if sth harmful is unchecked, it is not stopped from getting worse

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