Hong Kong Immigration Department condemns rumours of ‘mysterious envelope’ issued to residents withdrawing MPF funds on grounds of departure
- According to Facebook post, which has been removed, recipients have to give envelope to department when they leave city
- Authorities say internet users who spread the rumours are eager ‘to see the world plunge into chaos and achieve their own goals’.
The Immigration Department has condemned a social media post claiming to show a “mysterious envelope” issued by Hong Kong’s pension funds authority to residents leaving the city, saying those who spread the image “desired to see the world plunge into chaos”.
The now-removed post on Facebook showed a photo of an envelope purportedly issued by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), with a description saying those applying for early withdrawal of their money on the grounds of permanent departure would receive a document.
According to the online post, recipients were required to give the “mysterious envelope” to the Immigration Department upon their departure and leave the city before a specified time. It also claimed that applicants should not open the envelope.
“There is an opportunity that [authorities] will take action against people who make a false statement for early withdrawal of the pension fund. This also expands the Immigration Department’s law enforcement power to applicants who have departed Hong Kong permanently,” it said.
The government on Sunday evening condemned and denied the claims made in the social media post, which was widely circulated online.
A spokesman for the Immigration Department said the envelope shown in the photo was a standard one for all government bureaus and departments, adding that follow-up action would be taken.
“The Immigration Department sternly states that there [was] never such an arrangement in force with the MPFA and that such a rumour is totally groundless and fictitious,” it said in a statement.
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“[The department] severely condemns the ill-intentioned parties who seek to cause chaos by making use of photos to deliberately disseminate false and untrue information.”
The department took a tougher stance in the Chinese version of its press release, using a phrase dating back to the Ming dynasty to describe internet users who spread the rumours as hoping “to see the world plunge into chaos and achieve their own goals”.
The MPF authority said that it had never issued such letters and urged people not to believe the online rumours. The statutory body added that residents should call its hotline or ask trustees if they had any questions.
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Under Mandatory Provident Fund legislation, people can only withdraw their pension fund after reaching the age of 65. Exemptions are granted to six types of people including those who have retired early, departed from Hong Kong permanently or are the personal representative of a deceased scheme member.
Last year, 33,800 applicants retrieved their pension funds on the grounds of permanently leaving the city, up 12 per cent compared with 2020. In the first three months of 2022, about 7,500 similar applications were made.
