1st November 2020 – (Hong Kong) There is one local case with unknown sources reported today. She is a 42-year-old Chinese national who overstayed in Hong Kong and was arrested by police during an anti-vice operation in Mong Kok on 28th September. During the arrest, she was staying at Oriental Lander HotelĀ on Tong Mi Road in Mong Kok. She was suspected to be a prostitute. She was taken to Mong Kok Police station before being transferred to Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre on 30th October. She was subsequently transferred to Ma Tau Kok Detention entre. Detainees who stayed with her at Mong Kok Police Station, Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre and Ma Tau Kok Detention Centre will be sent to quarantine centre for testing. Close contacts of the patient including officials will also be sent to quarantine centre.
A prostitution ring set up a Telegram channel to openly solicit customers. The syndicate allegedly rented several hotel rooms for prostitution, including the Oriental Lander Hotel and another hotel in North Point. It is believed that the Chinese woman who has been staying at Oriental Lander Hotel has provided sexual services for a long time. The Telegram channel also advertised that the full set of sexual services only costs HK$400.
The Telegram channel has 4,000 subscribers. The channel started on 15th January but only until the 24th of last month, the administrator started to actively publish text and pictures, including information and pictures of different sex workers, places that provide prostitution services, and it even allows customers to leave their feedback. The latest post was at 3.50pm today. The channel has publicly disclosed the locations of the prostitutes, including the Oriental Lander Hotel, a hotel in North Point and a residential building. The charges are also set out in detail. The service time is from 9 am to early morning daily. The app will provide a contact number for customers to call to make an appointment.
Affected by COVID-19, travellers entering Hong Kong from the mainland need to undergo quarantine for 14 days. Therefore, in the past few months, mainland prostitutes have entered Hong Kong illegally via waterway to avoid quarantine. Some of them had to pay a HK$6,000 smuggling fee to stay here for a long time. In recent months, the police have also arrested many women from the Mainland for illegal entry into the city.