Scams, the yoga ball murder retrial and proposed laws for prosecuting public housing tenants who abuse the system have dominated the headlines this week. Perhaps the most eye-catching news centred on the Hong Kong government’s efforts in Thailand to bring home 12 residents lured to Southeast Asia to work in “scam farms”.

Also noteworthy was the announcement that Hong Kong passport holders can now enjoy visa-on-arrival entry to Saudi Arabia, while tycoon Michael Kadoorie is said to be spearheading a fundraising drive among business heavyweights for a PR campaign to boost the city’s image overseas. Read on for more on the week’s big stories.

In today’s edition:

• Scam victim returns home

   

• Scaffolding safety: bamboo or metal?

   

• Will ‘Skytopia’ take flight?

Scam victim returns home

One of the 12 victims trapped in Southeast Asian scam farms finally made it home after his family paid a ransom. Security chief Chris Tang pledged to do his best to get the others back despite challenges, while police arrested a 32-year-old beautician for allegedly luring two women to Thailand who were eventually sent to a scam farm in Myanmar.

Scaffolding safety: bamboo or metal?

Industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolding have sparked a debate over safety, with some critics suggesting that only metal structures be allowed. The government has pledged to conduct citywide inspections of scaffolding. Industry representatives, meanwhile, warn that ending the use of bamboo is not a solution and 4,000 workers will lose their jobs.

Will ‘Skytopia’ take flight?

A grand plan has been unveiled to expand the city’s airport into a landmark dubbed “Skytopia”. The HK$100 billion Airport Authority project features an arts hub, a 600-berth yacht marina, a “jet fresh market” to rival Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market and a hotel and commercial development. The question remains: will it take flight?

Politics

• Why are Hong Kong think tanks facing a bleak future?

   

• Hong Kong will redevelop 3 towers in Wan Chai into convention centre: city leader

   

• Former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam ‘welcomes’ cost-saving office relocation

   

• Trump wants the Panama Canal. Just empty talk, or a real threat for Hong Kong?

   

• Joe Biden extends special status for Hongkongers in US for 2 more years

Society

• Explainer | How can Hongkongers protect themselves from Southeast Asian job scams?

   

• Hong Kong watchdog logged 179 complaints over EVs, charging services in 2024

   

• Hong Kong’s Nicholas Tse to put on 2 Kai Tak concerts soon after Coldplay

   

• Hong Kong’s baby panda twins to meet the public in February: John Lee

   

• Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Foundation gives 4,200 Disneyland tickets to helpers