Hong Kong man returns to city after 26 years in Philippine prison for drug offences
Por Simpson Cheung — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Hong Kong society Hong Kong Society Exclusive Hong Kong man returns to city after 26 years in Philippine prison for drug offences
After two-month delay in wake of court ruling commuting his life sentence, Tang Lung-wai, 55, returns home still protesting his innocence
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Simpson Cheung in Manila Published: 7:39pm, 29 Sep 2026 Updated: 7:53pm, 29 Sep 2026
A Hong Kong man imprisoned in the Philippines for 26 years while fighting against convictions for drug possession has been released and returned home on Tuesday evening.
Tang Lung-wai, 55, is set to be greeted by his elder brother, Billy Tang Lung-piu, as he arrives from Manila at the Hong Kong International Airport.
“The moment I got out of the car, uncuffed, I felt finally free,” he said. “I am really lucky to be able to walk out physically sound.”
Tang Lung-wai was arrested in Manila in July 2000 for possession of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and placed on remand. He was convicted more than a decade later, in 2011, and was handed a life sentence, which in the Philippines amounts to a maximum of 40 years in prison.
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