Hong Kong parents plead as baby Danny held in care and daughter may not return from Sweden

Hong Kong social welfare authorities have classified baby Danny as a “high-risk” child and recommended he remain in protective care, while Sweden has moved to permanently transfer custody of his elder sister Lily to a foster family, according to the children’s parents.
The developments come ahead of a hearing at West Kowloon Juvenile Court on Friday over a protection order for Danny, the two-month-old whose home birth and delayed registration triggered a child neglect investigation earlier this month.
The parents said on Thursday that Swedish authorities had yet to arrange Lily’s return to Hong Kong despite a final deportation order issued by the country’s Migration Court of Appeal in 2024. Instead, they said, authorities had moved to permanently transfer custody to a Swedish foster couple.
Hong Kong couple Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin have been at the centre of a controversial cross-border child welfare case involving their three children.
They launched the “Save Lily” campaign after Swedish authorities took their second daughter into care in 2023 over child welfare concerns during a period of undocumented stay. The case followed the death of their eldest daughter, Constance, in infancy in Finland in 2019.
Their son was placed under a protection order earlier this month following his home birth and delayed registration.

The couple said in a statement that a multidisciplinary case conference held on Monday had recommended that Danny remain in a shelter, citing “substantiated neglect” and a “high-risk” assessment.
According to the parents, the conference identified five risk factors: the family’s past child welfare history, Danny’s vulnerability as an infant, the parents’ decision to proceed with a home birth and decline vaccinations and check-ups, their lack of stable housing and support network, and their initial lack of cooperation with authorities.
With the case due to be heard on Friday, the couple said they hoped Danny would be allowed to return home under close supervision.
“We hope to bring Danny home and continue to accept monitoring by the Social Welfare Department,” they said, adding they would provide their address and contact details, allow regular home visits and ensure ongoing medical care, including monthly check-ups.
“We reiterate that we have no intention of challenging modern medicine.
“We only hope to seek less invasive but effective treatment options within both Chinese and Western medical systems to minimise unnecessary medical risks.”
Danny has remained in protective care since early June, when his parents were arrested on suspicion of child neglect after initially refusing DNA testing required for birth registration. They later provided samples, which confirmed their parentage.
The infant was taken to hospital earlier this week after falling ill and was at one point recommended for meningitis testing.
Meanwhile, the couple said Swedish authorities had yet to arrange Lily’s return despite the 2024 deportation order.
They said Sweden’s Migration Agency had informed them on Monday that it had contacted the Chinese embassy, but “there is still no plan to deport Lily back to Hong Kong”.
The parents also said social services in Linkoping had applied to the Norrkoping District Court for both an emergency and permanent transfer of Lily’s custody to a Swedish couple
According to documents cited by the parents, Swedish social services argued that Lily had lived with her foster family for two years and was well integrated, while her parents remained overseas and family reunification was unlikely.
The documents also said Chinese consular officials intended to request DNA testing to confirm Lily’s biological relationship before arranging her return. Swedish social services argued there was no clear reception arrangement or adequate care network for her in Hong Kong.
The couple criticised the delay, saying Swedish authorities should enforce the deportation order and that the prolonged process had prevented Lily from maintaining contact with relatives.
“We call on Swedish authorities to execute Lily’s deportation order as soon as possible, so that Lily can return to Hong Kong and receive the protection afforded to Hong Kong permanent residents under the Basic Law,” they said.