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Five illegal workers holding Immigration recognizance forms were jailed by Sha Tin Magistrates' Court on January 2.
During an anti-illegal workers operation on December 29, 2009, five south Asians, aged 20 to 32, were found working in a recycling depot in Pat Heung.
They had entered Hong Kong unlawfully and had remained without the authority of the Director of Immigration. They were arrested for remaining in Hong Kong illegally and subsequently released on recognizance. They were then employed as odd job workers, sorting copper wires and dismantling air-conditioners, in the recycling depot.
The illegal workers each pleaded guilty to one count of taking employment while being a person who remains in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration after having landed in Hong Kong unlawfully. They were each jailed for 14 months.
"The Immigration Department will continue to strengthen law enforcement to combat unlawful employment now that the amended ordinance is in effect. It is an offence for illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order to take any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or to establish or join any business. Offenders are liable to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for three years," an Immigration spokesman said.
The spokesman also warned, "Visitors are not allowed to take up employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for two years."
The spokesman appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers, warning that it was an offence to employ people who were not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. To deter unlawful employment, the High Court laid down a sentencing guideline in 2004 reaffirming that it was a serious offence to employ someone who was not legally employable, and the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
Ends/Monday, January 4, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:34
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