Human Trafficking · Full chronicle and history

The U.S. State Department released a trafficking in persons report, noting that China has widespread forced labor policies and downgrading Hong Kong to the lowest Tier 3 list.

On October 2, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration raided two locations in Sibuco, Zamboanga, suspected of illegal offshore gambling, detaining 244 foreign nationals, most of them Chinese. They will be deported for suspected violations of immigration laws and placed on a blacklist banning re-entry. About 3,000 mobile phones, 78 monitors and other devices were also seized at the scene. Their identities, nationalities and possible involvement in human trafficking are still under investigation.

On October 2, according to the Philippine state radio station and GMA, the Philippine military conducted raids on suspected scam dens in the towns of Alicia and Siay in Zamboanga Sibugay Province, with about 200 of those checked being of Chinese nationality. About 2000 phones and multiple computers were seized at the scene. The military said there may be victims of human trafficking among them, and the authorities are investigating whether anyone was coerced or illegally recruited.

Liu Ren, formerly president of the Cambodia Anhui Chamber of Commerce, has been formally handed over to Chinese police by Cambodian law enforcement and escorted back to China to stand trial on suspicion of multiple serious transnational crimes, including cross-border money laundering, telecom and online fraud, and illegal human trafficking.