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Simpson Cheung

The family of a Hong Kong man imprisoned in the Philippines for more than two decades has appealed to city authorities for help after he remained in custody despite a court in the country recently ruling he had finished serving his sentence.
Tang Lung-wai was arrested in the country in July 2000 for the possession of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and placed on remand. He was later convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
While the court recently ruled that his sentence was now considered served after taking into consideration a good conduct time allowance, Tang’s family said he remained in prison and faced lengthy administrative procedures before he could be deported.
In a decision handed down by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court on July 30, which was also seen by the South China Morning Post, Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara ordered Tang’s release and transfer to the country’s Bureau of Immigration “for immediate deportation without further proceedings, all in accordance with the law”.
The court ruled that, as of July 5, Tang had technically served 40 years, one month and thirteen days in prison when factoring in his good conduct allowance.
“He has already served the maximum period of detention, making his immediate release warranted,” Alcantara said.
The court also said an inaccuracy in prison records previously showed that Tang had only served 39 years and four months.
Tang’s petition for habeas corpus, which applies to “all cases of illegal confinement or detention in which individuals are deprived of liberty”, was subsequently granted.
His elder brother, Billy Tang Lung-piu, said he was worried about Tang’s personal safety in prison. “I am very anxious. I don’t know if there is any accident before his release,” he said.
He said that even after Tang was released from prison, he would need to undergo a lengthy administrative process at the Bureau of Immigration before his deportation, including a medical check and a confirmation of his identity.

Billy Tang said he contacted the Hong Kong Immigration Department last week, with an officer telling him that authorities were waiting for the Chinese embassy in the Philippines to inform them of his brother’s actual release date.
He urged the Hong Kong government to send an officer to Manila to follow up on his brother’s case and expedite his release.
In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Immigration Department said that upon receiving the latest updates on the case, it would provide practical assistance on the deportation arrangements.
It added that it would continue to render assistance according to the wishes of Tang and his family members.
A spokesperson for the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong said it had taken note of the family’s concerns and would convey them to “the relevant Philippine authorities through the Department of Foreign Affairs as soon as possible”.
In 2018, then-city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor wrote to Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s president at the time, to urge him to push immigration authorities to hasten their search for records believed to prove Tang’s innocence.
The next day, Tang’s family members received crucial immigration records. While the records suggested that Tang was not in the Philippines during the period that local police said he was under surveillance, he lost his final appeal against his conviction in 2020.


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Family seeks help after Hongkonger held in Philippines despite finishing jail time

Tang Lung-wai (right) was originally arrested in 2000. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam in 2018 urged Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s president at the time, to push immigration authorities to hasten their search for records believed to prove Tang’s innocence. Photo: AP

Tang’s family has contacted Hong Kong’s Immigration Department for help. Photo: Sun Yeung

The imprisoned man’s brother, Billy Tang, speaks at a press conference in 2018. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Prison conditions are notoriously tough in the Philippines. Photo: AFP

Tai On-cheung (Left) and Lung Wai-tang (right) mull an appeal. 26OCT11

Hong Kong man, Tang Lung-wai, wrote a book from the New Bilibid Prison at the Philippines about the ordeal he has gone through over the years. Photo / Ming Pao Publications

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Domestic helpers gather in Central. Many domestic helpers opt against staying at the consulate-run shelter due to what was described as “strict policies” surrounding matters such as curfews. Photo: Karma Lo

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Family of Tang Lung-wai says he remains in prison and still faces lengthy administrative procedures before deportation


Family of Tang Lung-wai says he remains in prison and still faces lengthy administrative procedures before deportation.


The Philippines

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor

China

Family seeks help after Hongkonger held in Philippines despite finishing jail time

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Family of Tang Lung-wai says he remains in prison and still faces lengthy administrative procedures before deportation

Family of Tang Lung-wai says he remains in prison and still faces lengthy administrative procedures before deportation