Some groups have set up parks in Cambodia, Myanmar and other places to conduct fraudulent work such as telephone fraud and "killing pigs", involving serious crimes such as human trafficking.
The Hong Kong government received help from 39 Hong Kong people, but 21 people did not escape.
The police also arrested seven people in Hong Kong for "conspiracy to defraud", accusing them of making false statements to deceive others into going abroad.
He Peizhi, chief lecturer of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong and founder of the Center for Safeguarding Dignity, has called for the Hong Kong government to enact legislation on human trafficking for many years. She believes that prosecution for fraud cannot reflect the seriousness. Legal liability is exempted.
Myanmar Fraud Camp Investigation・Special Page｜Hong Kong Residents Are Resold to Expose Human Trafficking KK Park Hong Kong-related Companies
He Peizhi (left), chief lecturer of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong and founder of the Centre for Safeguarding Dignity, and Huang Xiaoyuan (right), project manager of the Hope Branch, have been concerned about the situation of human trafficking in Hong Kong.
They pointed out that Hong Kong people were deceived into scam camps in Myanmar and Cambodia, which was the most serious case of human trafficking in recent years.
(Photo by Lu Yiming)
Many Hong Kong people were deceived and detained in Cambodia, Myanmar and other places. The government has received a total of 39 requests for help from the beginning of this year to today (24th), and 21 people are still detained.
Hope Branch, an NGO that focuses on human trafficking, received audio recordings of two detained victims, one of whom is still in Myanmar.
▼01 Investigation Report on Fraud Camp ▼
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John was trapped in Myanmar and saw someone shot. The Chinese embassy told him to try to escape
John (pseudonym), who is still in the Myanmar campus, said that he was invited by a friend to travel to Mae Sot in Thailand a few months ago, and was later kidnapped to Myanmar and forced to engage in electrical fraud.
He had sought help from the Immigration Department, the local police and the Chinese consulate, etc. At the time, he received a reply saying that he was told to try to run out, "but someone was guarding with a gun and saw someone walking, and then he was shot."
He said that the Immigration Department had contacted him earlier, but he was still unable to leave the park. , you shouldn't need your help."
▼Part of the situation in the Myanmar scam camp▼
Dee returned to Hong Kong after paying ransom
Another A Dee (pseudonym), who was trapped in the Myanmar park earlier, successfully returned to Hong Kong after paying the ransom in recent days.
He was attracted to work in Thailand earlier by an online job advertisement, claiming to be in the advertising business, but after arriving in Thailand, he was kidnapped and taken to Myanmar.
He bluntly said that at that time, he asked his family to report the case to the police station, but was told that he would not accept it. He felt very helpless at the time.
He Peizhi, chief lecturer of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, has assisted victims of human trafficking and has been pushing for legislation on human trafficking in Hong Kong.
(Photo by Lu Yiming)
Human rights lawyer: It is the worst case of human trafficking I have ever seen
He Peizhi, chief lecturer of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, who has assisted victims of human trafficking, said bluntly that this incident was the worst case of human trafficking she had ever seen. "There are very few guns and knives." There is no human trafficking law. At present, enforcement is mainly relied on different laws such as the Crimes Ordinance, the Immigration Ordinance and the Employment Ordinance. The police arrested seven persons involved in the case earlier and only charged them with conspiracy to defraud.
The Central Committee of the United Nations Anti-Human Trafficking Protocol approves the application of Macau but not Hong Kong
The United Nations "Palermo Protocol to Prevent and Punish Human Trafficking", 173 signatories jointly combat human trafficking. When China signed it in 2010, it specifically stated that the Protocol does not apply to Hong Kong, but it is approved to apply to Macau. Some lawyers estimate the reason. It is Macau that has enacted the "Crackdown on Human Trafficking Crime" as early as 2008, but Hong Kong has no relevant legislation.
In 2017, He Peizhi, together with Guo Rongkeng, Leung Kai Cheong, Azan Aziz Marwah and others, jointly drafted the private bill "Modern Slavery Bill", which aims to integrate and criminalize various crimes. In June 2018, the draft was in the Legislative Council Security During the panel discussion, the Secretary for Security, Mr Lee Ka-chiu, said that human trafficking is not common in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong has clear laws and crimes to deal with the issue.
At present, there is no timetable for the bill to be submitted to the Legislative Council meeting and motions.
Many countries impose heavy penalties on human trafficking
He Peizhi believes that the current charge of conspiracy to defraud an intermediary involved in human trafficking to other places cannot reflect its seriousness, and suggested that Hong Kong should promote human trafficking legislation as soon as possible. Knowing that they may encounter serious personal safety and lose their freedom, they still sell to the local area. The crimes they commit are not only fraudulent.” She gave an example of the criminal law in the Mainland. The punishment for human trafficking can be up to life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Thailand and Myanmar are bounded by the Mekong River, with Mae Sot in Thailand at the top and Myawaddy in Myanmar's Kayin State at the bottom.
Risk of arrest after being forced to engage in electrical fraud
The Hong Kong government has set up an "Inter-departmental Anti-Human Trafficking Working Group" and related action plans to combat human trafficking, but He Peizhi believes that the relevant mechanism is only aimed at the situation in Hong Kong, and this time involving overseas crimes, it is impossible to monitor and enforce the law.
She also pointed out that in the absence of human trafficking laws, it would be difficult for victims to use civil methods to claim compensation from the intermediaries involved, "because the intermediaries did not directly harm them."
Some of the trapped Hong Kong people have been forced to conduct telephony scams as required, and may be at risk of being arrested after returning to Hong Kong.
He Peizhi said that although Hong Kong currently has a mechanism to protect victims of human trafficking, if they commit crimes under coercion, they will not be prosecuted, but this mechanism is not statutory, and he has also been in contact with many cases and still be prosecuted.
She hoped that the government will soon establish a statutory mechanism to protect victims of human trafficking, and promised not to prosecute victims of human trafficking who were coerced into committing fraudulent acts.
Hope Branch Project Manager Huang Xiaoyuan.
(Photo by Lu Yiming)
The Hong Kong government received help in January as early as August, and it was publicized only after the media exposed it.
As early as January, the government had received assistance from relevant cases, but it was not until the media exposed the incident that the government hurriedly held a press conference to explain it.
When asked if the current government's response was too slow, Huang Xiaoyuan, the project manager of Hope Branch, agreed that if the government could publicize the case when it received the case in January, it might reduce the number of Hong Kong people being deceived into other places.
Hong Kong has been criticized for many years as a transit point for human trafficking. People from Southeast Asian countries are trafficked into Hong Kong and become "drug mules" who are threatened with drug trafficking, or forced to engage in sex work, forced labor, etc. Huang Xiaoyuan pointed out, This incident reflects that Chinese people have become the targets of human traffickers. Many victims are afraid to report the crime because they have been forced to work illegally, and they are worried that they will be retaliated by human traffickers if they report to the police. They reiterate their hope that the government will strengthen the protection of victims.
She added that victims are often under surveillance, and the time to seek help is often short-lived. She suggested that the government should cooperate more with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and refer to the experience of other governments before establishing appropriate channels for assistance based on the victim's situation.
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