"A Mainlander received imprisonment sentence at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts for using forged travel document, making false representation and possessing forged Hong Kong identity card," a spokesman for the Immigration Department said today (June 20).

The 50-year-old male defendant, LAM Kwai-chau, pleaded guilty to the three charges. He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment on each charge of using false travel document and making false representation. For the charge of forged Hong Kong identity card, he received 15 months' imprisonment. The sentences of the first two charges were to run concurrently whereas 11 months of the 15-month imprisonment for the third charge was to run consecutively to the first two charges, making a total of 23 months' imprisonment.

Case revealed that Immigration investigators conducted a raid on the Shek O Quarry this month. On checking the workers' identity cards, the authenticity of the identity card produced by the defendant was in doubt. Upon enquiries, he admitted that the identity card was bought at RMB 2,000. He was known as CHAN Tin-so and came to Hong Kong in April 2001 on strength of a Two-way Permit. Immigration record subsequently revealed that he had come to Hong Kong under a different identity and was repatriated to the Mainland after having been charged for overstaying.

Under caution, the defendant admitted that he was properly known as LAM Kwai-chau. In order to conceal his previous adverse record, he procured a false Two-way Permit to come to Hong Kong and used the forged identity card to secure employment as an odd-job worker in the quarry. Forensic examination confirmed that the identity card was forged.

"Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who uses false travel document commits an offence. It is also an offence to make false representation to immigration officers. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years," the spokesman said.

The Immigration spokesman also warned that it is an offence in law to use or possess a forged identity card or transfer an identity card to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for 10 years.

End/Friday, June 20, 2003

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