Security Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Photo: Hong Kong China News Agency

On Friday, the spokesperson of the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said that Hong Kong police have contacted the off-duty Hong Kong officer, who recently went missing and was suspected of being taken to a telecom fraud park in Cambodia, Hong Kong media outlets reported over the weekend.

The Hong Kong SAR government spokesperson, responding to an inquiry from the Ta Kung Pao, said that an off-duty Hong Kong officer recently went missing while on leave in the Chinese mainland, suspected of being taken to a scam park in Cambodia, Ta Kung Pao reported Saturday. After he escaped, he called the report room of his police station for help. The spokesperson told the media the police have contacted the Hong Kong officer who was confirmed in Cambodia. The Police will dispatch personnel to provide assistance and further investigate the incident, according to the reports.

Hong Kong media reports, citing social media sources, reported that the officer had earlier told his superior that his mother was injured in a car accident in the mainland, and he needed to apply for leave to care for her. After entering the mainland via checkpoint in Shenzhen on August 22, he did not return to Hong Kong for work, but instead travelled to Cambodia via South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Hong Kong media reports said that on August 27, the report room of Ma On Shan police station received multiple anonymous calls. A man called and claimed to be a Hong Kong police officer and could provide his officer number, stating he was taken to a scam park in Cambodia and had escaped and was now at a Cambodian police station seeking rescue from the authorities.

TVB News reported that those who had taken him to the scam park discovered he was carrying a Hong Kong Police appointment certificate and released him.

Upon receiving the plea, the Hong Kong SAR Immigration Department immediately contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office of the Commissioner in Hong Kong and the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia to assess the situation, providing advice and assistance in line with the family's wishes, according to Hong Kong media reports.

According to Ta Kung Pao report, the Hong Kong government spokesperson said on Friday that the Immigration Department would maintain close contact with the commissioner's office, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, and the policeman's family, actively following up and providing feasible assistance according to their wishes.

The Hong Kong Security Bureau said it pays close attention to cases of Hong Kong residents allegedly lured to Southeast Asia and forced into illegal work. Since last year, it has handled 29 such cases, with 26 individuals returning to Hong Kong and two requiring no further assistance, and a dedicated task force continued to follow up on one remaining case in Myanmar, Ta Kung Pao reported.

Global Times