A Hong Kong resident, who was rescued from detention in Myanmar where he was forced to carry out illegal work, will return to the city on Monday, according to the Security Bureau.

Following his rescue, the 29-year-old man had been taken to Thailand and kept at a detention center there, the bureau said on Saturday.

Members of a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government task force, which is investigating reports that a number of Hong Kong residents had been lured to Southeast Asian countries and held against their will, met with the Hong Kong resident at the Bangkok detention center on Friday night.

READ MORE: HKSAR govt scrambles to rescue residents trapped in SE Asian countries

The task force – comprising members from the Security Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force, and the Immigration Department – immediately made arrangements for his return to Hong Kong, and will continue to follow up to investigate his case after his return.

“He (the rescued Hong Kong resident) was also very pleased to learn that he will be able to return to Hong Kong next Monday. He was in good mental and physical conditions,” the government said in a statement.

Since 2024 to date, law enforcement agencies have received 28 requests for assistance in relation to Hong Kong residents alleging to have been detained in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave. Seventeen of them have already returned to the city.

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“The dedicated task force will continue to maintain close liaison with the relevant parties and proactively follow up on the remaining 10 request-for-assistance cases in which the individuals have not yet returned to Hong Kong,” said the government.

Also on Saturday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said he is relieved that one more Hong Kong resident was rescued and will be able to return to Hong Kong to reunite with his family before the Chinese New Year.

He expressed his sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Myanmar and Thai authorities for their support and assistance and commended the HKSAR task force for their efforts to rescue and bring home the Hong Kong resident.

READ MORE: Woman held for allegedly luring HK residents to SE Asian scam farm

Speaking on a radio program the same day, he said the government would do its utmost to rescue the remaining 10 Hong Kong residents being detained in the region, noting that civil conflicts present challenges to the task force members.

"In fact, I have been seeing the Myanmar consulate and also the Cambodian consulate in Hong Kong to discuss how to have the safe return of our Hong Kong people," said the security chief.

READ MORE: Another HK victim held in SE Asia 'scam farm' returns home safely

On Jan 17, the HKSAR government raised the travel alert for southeastern Myanmar to red – the middle level of the government's three-tier outward travel alert system – warning the city’s residents that there is a significant threat involved in traveling to the place and that people should avoid making non-essential trips. The alert level was kept at amber for other parts of the country.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said his government would step up collaboration with international partners, carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation, and enhance collaboration with other partners to fight against the resurgence of employment scams in Southeast Asian countries.

“We will raise the outbound travel alert so that all members of the public will know which countries are involved in this illegal act,” he said.