Police today appealed for information about three teenage Chinese girls who have been missing for two weeks amid fears that people traffickers could be trying to force them into prostitution.

　　This police handout photo shows the three missing girls (from left to right) Lin Xiu King, He Yun Jin and Weng Miu Fang. [Photo]

　　Weng Mei Fang, 15, and Lin Xiu Ming and He Yun Jin, both 16, had been living in temporary accommodation in Newcastle after claiming asylum following their arrival in the UK last month.

　　They have not been seen since March 30, when they were reported to have left their accommodation at Elswick Lodge, in the west of the city, with a man. Police were said to be investigating whether the girls had been taken to London.

　　Northumbria police and the National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) believe the girls, thought to be from China’s south-western Sichuan province, could be with international gangsters involved in the sex trade. Police have asked anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact 0191 214 6555 (extension 62926).