If you really have to tug on a thread, having a pair of hemostats handy is very nice. The ones I have now are 5 1/2" long, but I preferred my old ones, which were 7" like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Strai...gateway&sr=8-7
Hong Kong is a very populous place, so I'm sure there must be medical supply stores where you could buy one locally if you needed to.