Freed Hongkonger returned to Philippine jail after storm
SCMP · 1 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong resident Tang Lung-wai was taken out of prison for deportation after a Manila court ruled that he had fully served his sentence, but he was sent back to detention when severe weather shut Philippine government offices. His legal team says he is now being held unlawfully because the court had already ordered his immediate release and deportation.
Key Points
- Tang Lung-wai’s Philippine lawyer, Blessie Rose Carpena, said prison authorities escorted him to the Bureau of Immigration last Friday after his release process began.
- Carpena said a passing typhoon suspended government offices, preventing immigration officials from processing him and resulting in his return to New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.
- Tang was arrested in the Philippines in July 2000 for possessing methamphetamine and was sentenced in 2011 to 40 years in prison.
- In late July, a Manila court ruled Tang had fully served his sentence after good conduct time allowances were counted, and ordered his immediate release and deportation.
- Former Hong Kong lawmaker and lawyer Paul Tse Wai-chun said Tang is now a free man and should wait for deportation in a hotel, not a maximum-security prison.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the immediate issue is whether a resident already declared free by a foreign court can still be kept inside a prison while deportation paperwork stalls. The case is also likely to test how quickly Hong Kong and Chinese officials can press Philippine authorities to move him out of custody and complete his return.