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Principal Immigration Officer (Enforcement and Liaison) Mr Eric Chan today (November 24) received a plaque and a souvenir flag from Yuen Long District Board member Miss Yau Tai-tai, MH, at a presentation ceremony at Fairview Park. The Yuen Long District Board presented the souvenirs as a mark of appreciation of the prompt response initiated by the department in handling reports on illegal employment.
The Immigration Department received a complaint on October 24, 2005, through the 24-hour telephone hotline 2824 1551 about illegal workers taking up decoration work at Fairview Park. Six Immigration investigators from the Anti-illegal Workers Combat Squad were quickly mobilised to mount an operation, codenamed "Contribute" at the targeted location.
As a result, three male Mainlanders from Guangdong, aged between 32 and 35, were apprehended for suspected breach of conditions of stay.
"Operation Contribute aimed to combat illegal workers engaging in interior renovation or building maintenance works and their employers. Since January, 2003, the department has been carrying out on an ongoing basis a series of operations and arrested 520 illegal workers and 80 employers. Through intensifying law enforcement, number of illegal workers taking up decoration work has declined significantly," Mr Chan said.
Apart from law enforcement, the department has stepped up publicity and education against illegal employment. Since the implementation of the smart identity card, the department has organised 46 seminars on the card's security features to staff of airline companies, local consulates, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, property management companies as well as other government departments.
Before the presentation ceremony, Senior Immigration Officer Mr Pak Yuen-oug spoke to 30 security officers about the security features of identity cards so as to prevent illegal workers from seeking employment with forged identity cards.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, it is an offence for both employer and employee to engage in illegal employment. Upon conviction, the employer is liable to a maximum fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. The employee who breaches condition of stay is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for two years.
The Immigration Department attaches great importance to combating illegal employment to protect job opportunities for the local workforce. "We will continue our relentless efforts to crack down illegal employment through various channels," a department spokesman stressed.
Ends/Thursday, November 24, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:02
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